Soldiers and Spies
by N7Tex11
Summary: Sequel to Soldiers and Cops, Commander Claire Shepard is dead and lost. When Luke is offered an opportunity to revive his lost sister by an old enemy, Luke must put his past behind him, recover his sister, and help her save the galaxy...again. I do not own Mass Effect (unfortunately). Props to Bioware! I don't own the cover art.
1. Chapter 1

**More adventures with Luke, Mallory, and Claire to come. I hope that those of you that were following Soldiers and Cops, this takes place a little after Claire's funeral. I hope you guys enjoy it. Please read and review!**

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Hunched over the desk in his small apartment, Luke scrolled though his messages on his data pad. Some of the messages dated back several weeks sitting unopened. A few messages from Tali and Garrus but they stopped after the second week of no response, then there was Liara's call. He had only answered them to keep her from coming to find him and beating him within an inch of his life for ignoring her. She had become a little scary since she started working as an information broker on Illium. True she needed to have that brutality to survive there but the change was so drastic from the timid girl he and Claire had rescued from Therum to the battle-hardened biotic business woman. It made Luke uneasy.

Luke had considered the offer made by the woman at Flux. If she was telling the truth, he could not pass up the opportunity. One word had been enough to peak his curiosity. One word had turned was sounded like a hopeless fantasy into a very real possibility. _Lazarus…as in the Lazarus Project. After all these years, it still exists? But Dr. Brexler is dead, Dr. Wayne is in an Alliance prison, and as far as I know, the research hasn't been pursued since I left. Of course if they continued working after I left, fourteen years is a long time with a lot of room for advancement._

Risky. That was the only way to describe his plan…risky. If anyone found out, he could be arrested or even killed. Cerberus was considered a terrorist group after all. He would have to play his hand so close to the vest that no one could be trusted. The Alliance would probably hide any involvement that could blow back on them and sully Claire's good name, but Luke could not have cared less. He had weighed the risks and the possible outcomes of all his options but he decided to move forward, after all, he already set some of his plans in motion.

Opening his omni-tool, he linked into the network and contacted the woman from the bar. "Operative Lawson, I'm in. Where do I start?"

The woman on the other end tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded. "Excellent. We have information suggesting that Liara T'soni is already investigating and may have a lead on the target's location."

"I'm going to need resources. Armor, weapons, upgrades, credits, a ship; plus one more thing." Luke sighed and wet his lips, there was no going back after this. If he took all this from them, he owed them. It was like doing a favor for a gangster. Once they had their hooks in you, they did not let go. Luke only took a second to consider his position before continuing. "I want a new amp, implants, and anything else that can boost my biotic power. I want to condition and train myself to be the best."

"That can be arranged. We will be sending an old friend to meet you a dock D-14 at 1520 hours tomorrow. Be there on time in your blue hoodie," the woman paused as Luke nodded. "And you might want to get cleaned up."

Luke scoffed and closed his omni-tool. Clean up…of course he would have to clean up. For nearly a month Luke had been drinking himself to death. His hair hung shabby and unkempt as a red beard matching his hair hid his jaw line.

 _This has to work. It has to._ Luke thought as he stepped in front of the sink in his bathroom. Opening his razor, Luke began to shave. His thoughts wandered as the long curly whiskers fell away from his face, prey to the edge of his blade. _Could I really pull this off? So many things could go wrong, but I have to try._

In no time at all, his beard vanished. He barely recognized himself without it. Running his hands over his now barren face, Luke sighed and considered his hair before retrieving clippers from his cabinet. He needed the old Luke back. He needed the cold, focused operative he had been during the hunt for Saren to get Claire back. He needed the sharp senses and keen instincts if he was going to make this plan work. It was time for the Luke Shepard who served on the Normandy to come back.

000

Luke ran his fingers over his upper left arm. He kept his sleeves long simply to keep the new addition to his appearance concealed as well as the bandage while it healed. Honestly, no one else needed to know about the small memento Luke had inked into his skin; a reminder of what he had to live up to and who he had to honor and thank for his life.

Leaning against the wall, Luke checked his omni-tool for the time. _1518…who could they be sending? I don't have all that many friends who would be caught with a group like this?_

The second the time hit 1520 hours, a shuttle pulled up and opened its door. Two men stood inside clad in white armor with recon hoods over their faces.

"Get in," one commanded. Luke raised an eyebrow at them before gathering up his bag and hoping on board. The moment his boots hit the floor, the door closed and the shuttle sped away.

"So, am I supposed to recognize either of you?" Luke asked crossing his arms and looking straight at his welcoming committee.

"No, but you should recognize me," someone said from the cockpit as the door opened. Luke turned to face the familiar face.

"Jacob Taylor, you son of a bitch. I thought you were still with the corsairs!" Luke said offering to shake Jacob's hand. Jacob smiled and gave Luke a pat on the shoulder.

"Naw, been out about three years. Started working for Cerberus. I know trusting me is a little hard to do 'cause of that, but we're the good guys on this one." Luke sat down in one of the chairs and took a slow breath. Of course they thought they were the good guys. Did the geth really think that they were bad guys? No one ever believes that they personally are the bad guys in any situation.

"Alright, I trust you. Not completely, but enough. I have a few terms and conditions before we kick things off though," Luke said leaning back in his chair.

"I'll see what I can do," Jacob responded.

"I'm sure our mutual, and rather seductive, acquaintance has told you I need equipment, armor, supplies, a ship, and new biotic implants with amp upgrades, but these next terms are non-negotiable." Luke waited for Jacob to give him the nod to continue. Jacob started a recording and sat down across from Luke.

"The equipment and so on is easy, but I think that these next terms might be a little hard for the boss to meet," Jacob stated. Luke nodded. That was good, he did not want them to think that he would sell his loyalty so quickly.

"Either these conditions are met or you don't get mine or Liara's help," Luke responded. Jacob nodded and appeared to be waiting for Luke to continue. "One, I want to be at Claire's side the moment that she is back in our possession. Nothing is done with her without my say so. Two, if things go bad and the project can't bring her back, I take her with me for proper burial. And three, if this, by some miracle, works and Claire is resurrected, I want to be there when she wakes up."

Jacob listened to and recorded the demands and sent them off to his boss to be examined and confirmed. Luke leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as he watch Jacob submit the recording.

"How have you been? Last I saw you was that time when we stopped the batarian plot to kill the Council," Jacob asked while they waited for a reply.

"Quit C-Sec, joined the Normandy crew, killed a rogue spectre, saved the galaxy," Luke paused. That wasn't entirely true. Claire saved the galaxy. Luke had just helped. "Actually, I helped my sister save the galaxy…then she died because of me. That's why I'm here. I have to get her back."

"We will, but we need solid intel and your friend should have some, if not actionable intelligence. The boss as personally picked an extra team of commandos to support us when we have a location, but Dr. T'soni would never except our help in recovering your sister," Jacob explained. "I can't blame her. Cerberus doesn't exactly have a clean history."

"I know. I'm still a little sore with Cerberus myself," Luke said rubbing his knuckles.

Jacob's omni-tool chimed as a message alert popped up. He smirked as he opened and read through the message. Luke hoped it was good sign. The last thing he needed was for them to deny his requests and end his chances of finding Claire.

"The Illusive Man says you have a deal on one condition. I quote, 'in order to give you the access necessary for you to remain informed of Commander Shepard's, I will require you to enter Cerberus' employ as an operative.' Different organization but still as nervous as the Alliance," Jacob said looking up at Luke.

"When we find Claire, I'll consider it. But until we find her, we are working together. Not 'for' each other, 'with'," Luke said running his fingers over his buzz cut before folding his fingers. "Never thought I'd be agreeing to work with Cerberus willingly."

"How times change, huh?" Jacob responded as he sent off Luke's response.

"Yeah, anyway drop me off at the public spaceport up here. I'll get in touch with Liara and let you know what I find out," Luke said motioning to the window. Jacob patted the pilot on the shoulder and pointed to the platform.

"What do you think you'll find?" Jacob asked as the shuttle landed and opened its doors. Luke stepped out lightly and smirked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully a lead. But I think I'm more likely to find a fight," Luke responded smiling slightly.

"Guess you're right. Hell, that's how you ran into me," Jacob said laughing.

"Yeah, but that was a different circumstance."

"What'd you mean?"

Luke shook his head and started toward the ticket counter. "I was looking for a fight back then, and found a lead."

000

The shuttle gained altitude as Jacob opened a comm. channel to the Illusive Man. The shadowed figure's eyes glowed like the churning sun that sat out the window behind him.

"How are things progressing?" the Illusive Man asked taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"As soon as we find the Commander, he'll be with us, but are you sure the Lazarus Project can bring Shepard back?" Jacob asked.

"Jacob, I put you in your position for a reason. Questioning the abilities of Miss Lawson and rest of the Lazarus team is not it. Keep Subject Alpha in play until we can discover what the Reapers are up to in the Terminus. I believe that Luke will be key in convincing Commander Shepard to join our cause," the Illusive Man said tapping the ash off the end of his cigarette.

"Yes sir. I'll keep on it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter of Soldiers and Spies. I hope you guys like it. I'm trying to really get into the details of Commander Shepard's recovery and Luke's current and future involvement with Cerberus. Please read and review. Enjoy!**

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Endless codes passed over the screen as Liara scanned her data feeds. True her operation was small and she only had a few agents, but she had gotten very good at her job. Some things that people thought were meaningless pieces of information were sometimes enough to open a door to a treasure trove of information.

She kept eyeing the maintenance log of a human vessel that stopped at Omega for repairs to its atmospheric interface and shuttle due to freezing temperatures. She had run the numbers six times. The only planet that that ship could have come from with the amount of fuel it purchased was Alchera, and if they landed on the planet they might have found something.

She opened the log for the ship itself as well as the manifest and quickly scrolled through them. The information screamed at her form the datapad. This ship held secrets that someone did not want discovered. They were not on a mere salvage mission. No scrap monger would need a cryogenic pod.

"Excuse the interruption," a drell said stepping into her office. "There's someone asking to speak to you over the network. He says that he is an old friend."

Liara looked up from the logs and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had heard from most of her friends several times within the last few days. Even Mallory had called and checked in with her. "Does he have a name?"

"He would not give one. He said simply to say 'among wolves'."

Liara nearly sprang from her seat despite her companions puzzled look. It had been several weeks since she had heard from Luke, and only he would introduce himself in such a cryptic manner. "Thank you Faren. I will take it in here."

The drell nodded and exited closing the door behind him. Liara knew he would be recording the call. He always did. She was not sure if he meant it to be used as leverage for her or against her.

"It's been a long time, Luke. How have you been?" Liara asked smiling at the man. He looked much better than the last time she had seen him. Fresh cut and clean shaved like he use to be on the Normandy. She could almost smell the alcohol on him during the last call she received from him.

"This isn't a social call. I know what you've been looking for and I want in," Luke stated. Liara started to open her mouth to tell him to be careful about what he said, but he kept going. "I know this line is not secure, but I'll be on Illium in about three days. Have one of your people meet me on the platform. I'll explain more when I see you."

Without another word, the transmission ended. Liara stood looking at the dark screen wondering just what had gotten into Luke. He radiated confidence and focus she had not seen since Claire died. He did not have his old sense of humor back, but he had taken a step in that direction.

 _I hope Luke knows what he is wading into._

000

Illium and the Citadel shared certain characteristics. Bustling with activity, the busy trade floor and public terminal reminded him of the markets on the Zakera Ward. People were making deals both white, gray, and even black right out in the open. Luke had to mentally hold back to keep himself from trying to get the criminals caught by the authorities.

Though the surroundings differed from his usual scene, Luke's constant vigilance and instincts had kicked themselves into overdrive. Every movement of a person passing by made him weary of an attack. He watched everyone's hands making sure they did not go under their coats.

"Luke Shepard?" a salarian asked as Luke slipped a knapsack over his shoulder.

Without skipping a beat, Luke shook his head and kept moving. "Sorry pal. You got the wrong guy."

Luke kept walking and slipped around the corner before doubling back to get a decent view of the alien. The salarian watched the shuttle empty of passengers before he opened his omni-tool.

Luke crept forward staying out of sight of the salarian and any camera he might have access to until he was within earshot.

"Shepard is not here, sir. What do you want me to do?" the salarian reported. Luke pulled his pistol and smirked. The salarian called his boss a sir. This guy did not work for Liara.

"The Shepard was confirmed to be present on that flight. You missed him. Find him before he gets to T'soni," the employer replied through the comm channel. Luke opened his omni-tool and typed in a hack that he and Tali had written while he was on the Normandy. A proximity audio bug program, it allowed him to listen in on a audio channel and sometimes even trace where a signal was coming from. No such luck with this particular broadcast, but he recognized the encryption. The level of sophistication in the code had only one equal.

"I will handle it, sir," the salarian stated before closing the channel.

Luke smirked and moved forward slowly drawing his pistol. He had to be quick but silent. A duo that he had not yet truly mastered. Pressing the barrel of his gun against the back of the alien's head, Luke cleared his throat.

"No, I don't think you will," Luke said. He reeled back and smashed the grip of his pistol into the salarian's head knocking him to the floor unconscious.

Luke studied the collapsed victim for a moment considering what to do with him. There wasn't a truly inconspicuous way to transport a sleeping salarian across the market floor.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, I should probably have just walked you to Liara's office at gun point. But whatever, hind sight is 20/20," Luke remarked as he pulled the salarian by his arms into a corner before slipping into the lost and found office. Surely there would be something there that would suit his purpose.

000

Liara paced in her office. Worry tore at her heart. Luke's shuttle had arrived almost two hours earlier. If Faren had not gotten to him before the opposition did, then he could be in serious danger.

Just as her dread was starting to get the best of her, Faren entered with his arms crossed looking more confused than anything else.

"Where is Luke? Did you find him?" Liara asked.

"Luke's just fine," a voice said from the doorway behind Faren. Liara glanced over the drell's shoulder to find Luke standing with a knapsack over one shoulder and dragging a large duffle bag.

Liara couldn't help herself. She raced forward and embraced the human. He looked good for being the washed up drunk that her contacts had been reporting to her. The clean shave was a definite improvement, but she could tell from the smell of his clothes and breath he had not quite kicked the drinking habit yet.

"I thought the Broker's agents might have gotten to you first," Liara said releasing Luke. He smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Oh they tried." Luke dragged the duffle over to a chair and unzipped it revealing a Salarian, bound and gagged. As far as Liara could tell, the alien was unconscious.

"Was that really necessary?" Liara asked as Faren helped Luke sit their prisoner down in the chair and tie him to it.

"Knocking him out? Possibly. Putting him in the duffle? Definitely, it would look pretty strange if I was dragging a salarian around by the ankle across the trade floor of Nos Astra," Luke retorted. Liara tried to see the statement as an attempt at humor, but Luke's tone conveyed that he meant business, and only business. The way Luke spoke struck her as unusual. He had an air about him that reminded her of Claire right before a big mission. Serious to a fault with their focus on one thing and one thing only, the success of the mission.

"What are you planning on doing with him?" Liara asked.

"Get answers by any means necessary," Luke said securing the salarian's legs and arms to the chair.

Liara watched as Luke positioned the chair and his prisoner up against the window facing the interior of the room. He then set his pistol on her desk with the barrel pointing at the alien. Using his omni-tool, Luke directed all the lights in room to be focused on the Salarian's face before turning them off. He placed a bag over his prisoner's head.

"What's that for?" Faren asked.

"Cops usually start interrogations in bright rooms and build on what they know about the… interviewee. For something like this, when we don't know that much, it's best to start in darkness and work on what they don't know. The best option is either fear or bribery," Luke paused and looked over at Liara and Faren. "I prefer fear myself."

"What information do you think he has?" Liara asked crossing her arms.

"Well to start, he knows why the Broker wants me and hopefully where he is keeping Claire's body. The sooner we find her the sooner…" Luke stopped mid-sentence. Liara looked at him with concern. He had plans for Claire's body, and he was not sharing, not even with her. She was beginning to realize that Luke was not the same C-sec officer she had met on the Normandy. He had become someone else, something else.

The salarian stirred, groaning at the pain Luke had inflicted. Luke moved like a wild varren stalking its prey, silent and focused. Soon he was right next the the salarian's head.

"I have questions that you are going to answer," Luke said softly. The tone made Liara's blood run cold. She would have expected that tone from someone who was generally concerned for the well-being of the one they were speaking to. Like a close friend warning their buddy that they were in trouble and needed to be careful. "If not, I'm going to find ways to make you suffer so much that you will beg to answer any question I have just to make it stop."

Liara felt the shiver return and slither its way up her spine. Luke may not have been the man she had known on the Normandy, but surely he would not torture someone for information. He could not have changed that much, right?

"I…I don't know anything," the salarian stuttered.

"That's not going to fly with me," Luke stated standing up straight and ripping the bag off his head. "You're an agent for the Shadow Broker tasked with bringing me in. You know a hell of a lot more than you'll admit willingly. I know you have heard the stories about my sister. How she was a great soldier and diplomat, merciful and just. I'm not her. I'm the wolf in Shepard's clothing, and what wolves do best is rip people's throats out."

The salarian visibly swallowed a lump in his throat. Liara could see the advantage of establishing someone's fear and building a basis off of it. This salarian was now in the palm of Luke's hand. He would still have to work for the information that he wanted, but he would get it.

"Let's start with something simple. Why does the Shadow Broker want me?" Luke said pulling a chair up in front of the salarian as the lights turned on. Liara could only imagine how blinding the lights must have been in his face.

"You are looking for Commander Shepard's body. The Broker doesn't want you to find it," the salarian said.

"Which leads to my next question, where is her body? How can we track it down?" Luke leaned in so close that his forehead nearly bumped the salarian's.

"He'll kill me."

"You think I won't!" Luke roared straight into the alien's face. Even Liara jumped at his outburst.

"I can't!" the salarian protested.

"You know what, I don't have to kill you. I'm sure my partners know several people that would love to get their hands on a genuine Broker agent." Luke turned to face Liara. "I'm sure you can think of a few that would give us a good price."

Liara felt a smile tug at her mouth. Luke had not touched the alien since strapping him to the chair. The lights, his yelling, his threats were all devices to weave a web of that the salarian was walking right into.

"I have a client that has offered 3 million credits for a live agent. I'm sure he would make the same offer again," Liara added.

"Make the call," Luke snapped, but before she moved, he put his hand behind his back and waved her off, cancelling his statement.

"The body is being kept at a cryogenic facility in the Horse Head Nebula on Noveria. Peak 9 facility. Lab 121."

"See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Luke said patting the salarian on the shoulder and slipping the bag back over his head. "But when is the next time that they are moving her and where to?"

Liara looked over at Luke trying to figure out where he was going with this. Why would the Shadow Broker move the body? Could he know that she was tracking it as best she could? If he were moving Claire to keep her hidden, did that mean she was on the right trail?

"The body is moved ever few days to a new facility. You might have two days left before it is moved from Peak 9," the salarian answered.

"If I get there and my sister isn't there, I will come back and hang you by your own entrails. Do I make myself clear?" Luke said leaning in on the salarian and pressing his finger to the alien's forehead.

"I understand."

"You no longer work for the Shadow Broker. You work for Liara T'soni and if she is ever dissatisfied with your service, you will be taking the expressway down to the trade floor," Luke snapped tipping the chair back ever so slightly.

There was something new in Luke. A darkness Liara had never seen before. Maybe it was from his weeks of drinking or the grief of losing his sister. Whatever it was, the man Luke was becoming scared her almost beyond words.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for such a long delay on this chapter. With my job, knee surgery, and Thanksgiving right around the corner, everything is really hectic. I'm going to try to post the next chapter within the next two weeks. Promise. Nothing too exciting in this chapter but it is leading up to a big action filled chapter next up. We do however get to see a glimpse of what Luke has in his near future. Please read and review. Enjoy!**

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Cerberus had mobilized an entire company of commandos to help in the extraction of Claire's body from the Noveria facility. They were going to meet him at the insertion point where he would take command. He was not exactly looking forward to that.

The Illusive Man had told him what shuttle he needed to take and where to find his new equipment for the operation. Luke tried to pass the time with pacing, cleaning his pistol, and reviewing intelligence on the facility, but he got to the point of simply leaning and thinking to pass the time. He hated waiting.

Luke stood outside Liara's office with his arms crossed and fingers drumming. His shuttle did not arrive for another hour, but he could not hold himself back. He wanted Claire back where she belonged. He knew the Lazarus Project would take time, but he would wait as long as he had to and do whatever needed to be done to make sure that Claire was brought back. He wanted to leave and get to Noveria before the Broker had a chance to relocate her.

"I've found some muscle that might help you get Claire back," Liara said closing her omni-tool.

"Thanks, but I've already got that covered," Luke responded. He knew his statement would bring up more questions but he felt that Liara should know what she was getting into.

"What do you mean? I thought you were at Flux the past two months," Liara said raising her eyebrow.

"I was, but I have some old acquaintances that volunteered their services. I don't really want to get into it," Luke said starting to walk away. Liara stepped in his path and took hold of his arm.

"Luke, what is wrong? You are not acting like you. Who are the people you are working with? What have you involved yourself in?" Liara showed genuine concern in her eyes. Luke sighed and turned away from her. Yes, she deserved to know who she was getting in bed with by helping him, but he couldn't bear to think of how she would see him if she knew who is comrades were.

"I'm fine. I just want my sister back and I'll do whatever it takes and work with whoever it takes to do that," Luke said sighing and gently pushed past her.

"You don't have to fight the Broker alone. Claire was my friend and I have been working on this for months. I am not about to step back and let you go get yourself killed," Liara snapped. "Faren and I are coming with you."

Luke looked back over his shoulder to see the drell nodding his agreement. Something about Liara's companion made Luke uneasy; like an ever present shadow watching him like a hawk.

"You don't want to get in bed with the people I'm working with Liara, trust me," Luke stated rubbing his forehead.

"Then you shouldn't be involved with them either," Liara argued.

"I don't have a choice. They are the only ones that have the research and personnel to bring Claire back. Not to mention the funding," Luke sighed.

"It sounds like you are familiar with this group," Faren suggested stepping forward.

Luke sighed and crossed his arms. Hell yes he was familiar with the group. He had been saved, experimented on, and cast aside by them when he was sixteen. Then not more than a few months prior, he had helped Claire destroy several of their operations in the Attican Traverse and other parts of Citadel space. The fact that they had come to him to ask for help with reviving his sister had him puzzled still, but if it got Claire back, he didn't honestly care.

"I am familiar…maybe too familiar," Luke answered.

"You could not have…" Liara started turning him around by his shoulder. "You of all people should remember what kind of people they are."

"I know who they are and what they've done okay. I still hate them with every fiber of my being, but they said they could bring Claire back," Luke answered.

"That does not give you permission to throw away all the work that the team did to try and destroy them," Liara snapped.

"I'm not throwing away anything. I am recovering my sister and using Cerberus to do it," Luke argued back.

"Cerberus?" Faren asked looking over at Liara.

"A pro-human organization that turned from being an intelligence asset for the Alliance into a rogue military power with branches involved in weapons and medical research, but only for humans," Liara explained. Luke could see but the drell's reaction that he knew exactly who and what Cerberus was. Perhaps he was do it for Liara's benefit to give her something else to focus on other than Luke, but the more likely was that he was lying to Liara and knew a great deal more than he lead on.

"And the only organization with the Lazarus Project research that they have been working on for the last 14 years since I left. According to my contact, they want to revive Claire and help her destroy the reapers. I guess even Cerberus understands what needs to be done, even if the Council doesn't." Luke saw Liara's disappointed scowl turn into a knowing frown. She knew he was right. The Council, even with Anderson as the Alliance's representative, had put all reaper news and anything that would confirm a reaper presence in a sealed, classified file away from the public eye. They had essentially swept it under the rug.

"Luke, I know you want Claire back and I will support your decision, but Cerberus might be using you and Claire too," Liara suggested as Luke spotted a white and yellow shuttle landing on the platform.

"I know they are. But two can always play at that game. Come on, my ride's here," Luke said waving his friend toward the shuttle. Luke could see the pair's discomfort about climbing onboard a Cerberus shuttle but the shuttle was headed for Noveria as soon as Luke was on.

"I hope you know what you are doing," Liara stated following him as she watched the side streets and kiosks as they passed.

 _Me too,_ Luke thought as the door of the shuttle opened. Jacob offered Luke his hand and helped him aboard.

"Fast work, Shepard," Jacob said patting him on the shoulder before offering his hand to Liara. Luke smirked seeing her swat it away and climb in. The feelings of disgust were mutual but they were a necessary evil…extremely necessary. Luke had no illusions that without Cerberus funding and troops, he would never get Claire back.

"I aim to please. Let's go get my sister," Luke stated.

"We've been monitoring the installation since the moment you sent your message. It appears that the Broker is aware that we are on the way. He appears to be moving the commander's body," one of the commandos stated. Luke stepped over to the screen and watched as a large shuttle landed on the platform.

"Tag it and get a reading on it's IFF signature. Have a team hit it in transit. I want another team deployed to Port Hanshan in case the shuttle is the diversion and they try to move her on the ground. Liara, Faren, Jacob, you three are with me. We're hitting the facility," Luke said as he looked up and spotted a locker with his name on it.

"But aren't they moving her? What's the point of hitting the facility?" Faren asked.

"Because both options might be diversions. What I'm trying to figure out is how the Shadow Broker knew we were coming before Cerberus did." Luke watched the reflection of the people on the shuttle in the shiny surface of the locker. He trusted Liara and Cerberus could not have leaked the information fast enough for the Broker to get a shuttle to Peak 9 in that amount of time. That only left Faren. He had to be the leak, but he was not about to voice his suspicions without hard proof. That kind of betrayal was a death sentence with Cerberus. He did not want to risk that just in case Faren was innocent.

Luke opened the locker and found a full set of armor with biotic enhancements and a full armory. On the shelf above the helmet he even found an upgrade for his omni-tool. Cerberus certainly held up their end of the bargain with style. The armor was a titanium composite with a light weave. Veins of element zero flowed along the arms and legs as a way of increasing his biotic strength. Luke started slipping on the suit piece by piece. The chestplate had the Cerberus symbol on the front in the exact center of the chest. On the left pectoral was the greek symbol alpha with a wolf head in the center.

"I thought you might like it. The squad has given you the call sign Alpha Wolf," Jacob said sitting down and crossing his arms. Luke considered the name for moment. 'Wolf' he didn't mind. It was a bit of a play on the phrase on his sweatshirt, but 'Alpha', that he had a hard time getting past. Subject Alpha, the science experiment, the test subject, that did not sit to well.

"I'm sure it will grow on me," Luke answered locking the chest plate into place.

"It seemed appropriate for the leader of the Wolf Pack," Jacob said revealing a wolf head inside a beta symbol on his shoulder. The rest of the commandos turned to reveal their shoulder pads with several more greek symbols and wolves.

"Wait, this is my squad?" Luke marveled looking around. He had not expected Cerberus to give him his own troops. Sure his own weapons and armor were expected but troops was a big difference. Luke wasn't sure if it was a vote of confidence or a caution to keep him from betraying them.

"We are. You choose the missions that we take on. We don't make a move without your say so," Jacob explained. Jacob stood and saluted. "What are your orders?"

"We hit the facility. Two teams. Liara, you and I will take half the wolves and insert on the upper platform at the top. Jacob, Faren, take the rest of the squad and secure the landing pad. We'll need to contact two other teams to secure the shuttle and ground routes," Luke stated.

"You heard Alpha's orders. Prepare for insertion," Jacob ordered.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a little longer than usual but I am hoping that you guys like it. There is quite a bit of action in this chapter plus a little drama so let me know what you guys think. Please read and review. Thanks and enjoy!**

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"Are you sure about this sir?" one of the commandos asked. His call sign was Zeta among the Wolf Pack as they were referred to. According to the dossiers Jacob had sent him, Zeta had a propensity for making things go boom, bang, and several other variations of the like.

"Just as sure as when you asked me ten minutes ago," Luke said locking the harness into place.

"So what's the plan again, just so I'm clear on my part?" a girl said adjusting the sight on her rifle.

"For the third time Theta, you cover Zeta and me from here. Liara provides extra barrier support for the shuttle, and Gamma drops with us to cover Zeta while he sets up the breach. What part of that is hard to understand?" Luke snapped pulling his pistol and checking the thermal clip. The new upgrade would help but a shortage of thermal clips could very well prove deadly. Luke sighed and reach behind his head to flip on his amp. He had not had it on since the Battle of the Citadel, much to his regret.

"I like it. Short on brains, long on guts," Gamma spouted off. Luke glanced over at the biotic and the man cranked his enhancements up to maximum and locked in his harness.

"I'll try not to see that as an insult," Luke replied.

"Luke's plans are always a touch unorthodox, but they normally work," Liara added rubbing her hands together.

" _In position,"_ the pilot announced over the radio. Luke locked his helmet into place and opened the shuttle door. The haze of snow, wind, and frost blinded him immediately. He hoped that the pilot had them in the right position. If they were off by any more than a yard in any direction, including up or down, the landing would be very interesting.

"GO!" Luke shouted leaping from the ledge. Zeta followed immediately, then Gamma as the three men plummeted into the blinding maelstrom of snow and ice.

For a second, Luke felt the sensation of falling. Nothing felt more invigorating or filled him with more adrenaline. The sound emulators never captured the way wind swished and spirals past his ear as he fell. Nothing could match the way the air cut though and around him while in free fall. Alas, the sensation of falling never lasted long enough in his opinion.

The harness stopped him less than two and a half feet away from the ceiling as Gamma and Zeta joined him. Their armor and helmets concealed themselves behind a layer of ice and snow.

"When the charge is in place, use a barrier to shield us. We go in and secure this entrance. Laira and Theta follow in twenty seconds," Luke said bringing up his omni-tool.

"Got it," the two commandos answered.

"Let's get this done," Luke encouraged.

Zeta worked like a speed demon. Even with the wind and ice slashing at him, he still placed his custom made explosives perfectly. The device was not unlike old breaching explosives. The plastic explosives supplemented by small amounts of element zero mixed in. The blast it created was like a combination of a biotic detonation and a frag grenade piercing nearly any barrier, physical or biotic.

"Ten seconds 'til the ladies join us. How're we coming?" Luke asked attaching a guide line to the ceiling. When the section of ceiling fell through, it would act as an achor for the line to guide the girls in to the facility from the shuttle.

"Charges set. Ready on your go," Zeta responded.

""Gamma, bring up the barrier," Luke ordered. The biotic glowed blue as a shimmering field of energy formed around the trio. "Do it."

Luke braced himself as the explosive erupted propelling the roof into the facility like an old battering ram. He felt his heart pound in his chest as adrenaline filled his veins. He could feel his anger and biotics combining into a force to be reckoned with. True, he would never be as powerful as Gamma or Liara, but he would be ten times as brutal to any Broker agent that crossed his path. Anyone that tried to keep him from Claire would not live to regret it.

Luke slid down the guide line first leading the charge into the facility as the bewildered broker defense forces scrambled to find their weapons. Luke allowed himself the slightest amusement at the mercenaries as the fell over each other, some lacking even armor.

It appeared they had breached the ceiling of the mess hall right in the middle of chow. Snow and ice poured down on the unsuspecting victims as Luke secured the teams landing point with pistols blaring. He had only been on the floor for half a second before Zeta was next to him, then Gamma, followed Closely by Liara then Theta. The five formed a wedge with Luke at the head rotating and spraying deadly fields of fire in every direction. The fight however felt extremely one sided. Most of the mercenaries were hiding under tables leaving the fighting to those who had weapons, but when an armed merc was killed, another would pick up the weapon and shoot.

"Head for the door," Luke ordered starting to move forward. The rest of the team moved with him straying no more than an inch from their position in the wedge. Luke hacked the door with a brute force hack that Tali had taught him. The memory made Luke smile half-heartedly. They had used the hack to break the lock on a Cerberus facility they were destroying at the time, and now he was using that same hack to help Cerberus get into a Broker facility. There was a strange irony to the whole situation.

"Beta, we're in and moving. Hit it," Luke ordered through the radio.

 _"_ _Got it. On the deck in five seconds,"_ came the reply.

The halls laid before them as if they were built for fighting. The door frames sat back in the wall deeper than normal giving defenders cover to conceal themselves. Luke assumed that they never expected form someone to breach the ceiling and enter the center of the facility. There were no security doors, check points, not even a patrolling guard. The last one worried him a little. Was the lack of security a sign that their precious cargo had been moved already?

Luke stopped short of a corner and signaled for everyone to take cover against the wall. He could hear someone barking orders at some of the Broker mercs. _Finally, someone that might actually have some information._ Opening his omni-tool, Luke squatted next to the wall and tossed a small orb into the hall way.

"What's that?" Gamma whispered. Luek glanced over at him before opening an image of the hallway on his omni-tool.

"Rolling camera equipped with an eezo equilibrium module and holographic relay system. Basically a low tech drone with no offensive capabilities. Now shush…" Luke whispered back as he watched a man start coming their way with two others. Luke lifted his pistol and signaled for everyone else to wait. He twisted a suppressor on to the barrel of his weapon and turned the corner just as the man came into view.

Luke used a biotic punch that shattered the man's rifle to knock the leader across the hall and into the wall before firing two quick shots that ended one of the man's companions, but the second got a shot off that knicked Luke's armor. He used his biotics and launched a biotic charge at the man burying his elbow in the merc's stomach. The armor broke around Luke arm and the merc flew backward as if he were nothing at all. Without even waiting to make sure the other two were dead, Luek turned back to the leader that was getting up slowly, rather dazed and confused.

"Where is Commander Shepard's body?" Luke snarled holding the man against the wall. The man remained quiet until Like punched him in the gut. "The Commander. Where is she?"

The man gasped for air as Luke shoved back up against the wall. Luke wanted nothing more than to beat this poor excuse of a man into a chunky puddle on the floor, but he needed him.

"Shepard?" the guard wheezed.

"Yeah, Shepard. Where is she?"

"I was just told to keep you away from Lab 138. I don't know anything about this Shepard," the man answered holding his stomach.

"You're gonna show me the way and if she isn't there, I'm going to kill you and find someone else who knows where she is," Luke snapped pressing the barrel of his up under the man's chin. He could see the fear ripping the man apart on the inside; his old loyalties to the Broker faltering and giving way for his own sense of self preservation.

"I'll take you there straight away," the man stated. Luke smirked and lowered his pistol. He spun the man around and buried the pistol barrel in his back instead of his jaw.

"Lead the way. Anything goes wrong and you catch the first bullet." Luke surprised himself with just how cold he sounded. Glancing back at Liara, he knew she was just as surprised as he was to hear the frigid tone escape him. Luke turned his attention back to his captive as he nudged him forward with his pistol.

000

Luke's movements were gentle and careful, as if he were trying to handle a glass chandelier. His fingers traced over the small window in the top that framed a cracked and burned helmet covered in a layer of ice. The Broker's turncoat that had led Luke to the lab lay dead against the wall after trying to activate the alarm when they came into the room. Liara had protested but Luke didn't listen. He had Claire in front of him. He was one step closer to being reunited with his sister.

"This chamber isn't for keeping her alive," Luke said softly taking a reading from his omni-tool. "It's to keep her from decaying, but why? What would the Broker want with Claire's preserved body?"

"I do not know, but how are we supposed to move it? It must weigh 2 tons at least," Liara said glancing out the door. The squad stood guard outside. Zeta had set up traps that would

"We don't need the chamber. All we need is Claire," Luke stated opening his omni-tool's bypassing interface.

"Luke, one moment, do you mean carry Claire's body out? Only her body?" Liara asked.

"It will be the fastest way to get out of here. Cerberus has a cruiser waiting in low orbit to meet the extraction shuttle. They have the equipment to start the process…" Luke stopped. He had not explained what Cerberus was getting out of his deal with them or what they planned to do with Claire. Should he really reveal that to Liara?

"What process?" Liara said taking a step forward.

"Don't ask. You don't want to know." Luke finished the bypass on the lock and opened the frigged casket. The sight of his sister's mangled body turned his stomach and ripped his heart apart.

What armor remained showed signs of intense heat, most likely from her fall through the atmosphere. Pieces had been burned away and melted onto her. The corpse was missing her left leg from the mid-thigh down and the right hand was missing all its fingers. Her helmet showed cracks all over the surface even revealing some frozen red hair. Luke felt tears swelling in his eyes as he slid his hands under her upper back and her remaining knee. The frozen corpse creaked and crackled as he lifted her out and started toward the door.

" _Alpha, there is a Broker ship inbound, you better get here fast or we'll have to find a new exit,"_ Jacob reported over the radio. Luke pushed through the door and looked at the three commandos.

"Move to the extraction. Beta, package is secure. We're moving to you. ETA 3 minutes," Luke responded as the group began to jog through the halls. Liara trailed behind. Luke could feel her eyes burrowing into his skull trying to figure out what he was hiding and planning.

" _Better huff it. Broker reinforcements are inbound. ETA 5 minutes,"_ Jacob responded.

"Alpha, I can cut the time by a minute if we blow through this wall," Zeta stated knocking on the wall and examining a hologram of the floor plan.

"Do it! Beta, we're blowing our way out and coming out hot!" Luke shouted.

Zeta only took a second to place a shaped charge on the wall and signaled for everyone to take cover. The explosion shook the entire facility as smoke and dust filled the hallway. Luke held Claire close, cradling her in his arms.

"We're clear," Zeta shouted peaking around the corner.

"Theta, cover. Gamma is first up, then me, then Liara. Zeta you cross then cover Theta's cross. Move," Luke ordered. Everyone moved.

As Luke followed Gamma, he held Claire close. He was not about to let her go. He didn't care if he got shot, burned, stabbed, or thrown, he was never letting her go. Never again would anyone take her away. The universe had taken his parents, his friends, Ashley, and had tried to take Claire. This was his chance to fight back and take something… someone back from the jaws of death.

000

Liara ducked behind some of the cargo crates as the Peak 9 defense forces exchanged fire with Jacob, Faren, and the rest of the wolf pack. Liara found it strange that these humans trusted her and Faren so quickly but perhaps that was thanks to Luke. She had been keeping tabs on him after the funeral. According to her sources, he had not left the bar in over a month. She was not even sure of when Cerberus had made contact.

Luke seemed desperate to not let anyone else touch Claire as he knelt in cover. His armored arms clinging to his sister's corpse anxiously waiting for their shuttle. Liara knew he wanted to get Claire out of there, but she was worried about this process that he had mentioned. What could Cerberus have promised him that would have made Luke trust them enough to go into battle with them? To trust them with Claire's body?

The Cerberus shuttle was starting its landing sequence as Luke and his team started to move toward the platform. The moment the group moved from cover, the Broker mercenaries were on them. Bullet rained down from every enemy position as they launched their frantic attempt to reclaim the Broker's prize.

Liara was suddenly thrown backward by an explosion that hurled Theta and Zeta forward abusively. Flailing wildly, Liara managed to stop herself from being thrown off the shuttle pad, but only just. She was stranded alone, under heavy enemy fire from the mercenaries, and the shuttle had landed to evacuate everyone.

" _Liara!"_ Luke shouted over their comm channel still holding Claire's frozen form in his arms.

"Go!" she replied. She honestly didn't want them to leave her behind, there was still so much that needed to be done, but Claire and Luke were far more important, at least to her.

 _"_ _Not without you,"_ Luke replied. _"Theta, covering fire. Gamma, put up a barrier. Faren, close proximity protection. Beta, lob some smoke. Move!"_

Liara smiled. That ferocity and commanding presence reminded her of Claire. Maybe having his sister in his arms was channeling her spirit from the afterlife? Whatever it was, it was saving her life.

Leaping to her feet as Faren arrived, Liara sprinted toward the shuttle throwing a singularity into the smoke screen. The wind was wiping most of the covering smoke away but there was still enough to throw off any thermal sensors and visual scanners. Suddenly, she heard an exclamation of pain come from behind her. As she turned her head, all she saw was Faren being pulled biotically back toward the facility.

"Faren!" Liara screamed. She tried to slow down but a concussive round hit her square in the chest sending her backwards. Tears filled her eyes as she realized it was Faren who fired it.

The Wolf pack grabbed Liara by her arms and pulled her onto the shuttle despite her kicking and screaming. She begged them to get him back but he shuttle door closed and locked.

"We cannot leave him!" Liara protested turning to look at Luke.

Luke laid his sister down in a stasis unit and closed the lid before turning to face her. As he removed his helmet, Liara felt angry. Luke's expression was indifferent. He had risked so much to make sure that she made it out, but did not lift a finger to save Faren.

"Liara, Faren betrayed you. He let the Shadow Broker know we were coming. That was why the two diversions were sent out. It's why a cruiser full of merc reinforcements is trying to cut us off right now. He helped save you because he had to. Personally, I think he felt like he owed you for his betrayal, but I'm not going to risk Claire to save a double agent," Luke said calmly.

Logically, it made sense, but Liara still had a hard time coming to grips with the reality. She had her own suspicions about Faren for some time now, but she never thought he would out right betray her. "But what will happen to him? He helped us steal Claire from the Broker."

"The Broker won't kill him if he thinks that his cover is still intact. He'll use him as bait to try and lure you out to get rid of the competition, or he'll let him go to get back in your good graces and continue to spy on you. Either way, Faren will live." Luke would not even look at her as he spoke. Liara wondered if he was lying through his teeth. Again, logically, Luke was making sense, but Liara did not like the idea of leaving Faren behind.

Liara gathered herself and cleared her throat before standing . Her eyes drifted to Claire as she collected her thoughts. "This process you mentioned, what is it?"

Luke sighed and looked around the shuttle at the team of commandos. Liara could not tell what was going through his mind but he seemed truly perplexed on how to tell her.

"The code name of the project is Project Lazarus. They are going to try and bring her back. Personality, morals, ambitions, feelings, everything. The offered to give me my sister back. Not just her body, her," Luke said softly as he placed his hand on the top of the stasis chamber.

"By the Goddess, that cannot be possible," Liara said stepping forward. How could Luke think that there was any chance of that? Claire had been dead for weeks. There was nothing that she had found that suggested that it was even possible to bring someone back to life.

"I'm willing to risk it," Luke said refusing to look away from his sister. Liara knew Luke loved Claire with all his heart. She was his sister and he missed her more than anything. She hoped and prayed that Luke was right.


	5. Chapter 5

**Been stuck on the couch so been writing up a storm. I am almost done putting down the little bit of back story I want before we get into the events of ME2. Don't worry, we'll get to see what happens to Luke during the two years Claire is on the operating table later on. Special thanks to BlackBeltDancer for letting me bounce ideas around with her. Please read and review. Enjoy!**

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Luke stood on the observation deck overlooking the operation room. The robotic arms shifted, cut, screwed, and chipped away at Claire as they inserted implants, reconstructed bones, grew skin, and pumped drugs and chemicals into her. The only sight Luke could even come close to comparing it to was the old black and white movies with a mad scientist and a monster. Luke sighed thinking of how Claire would react when she woke up, would she still be the same Claire or would she be a monster?

Miranda came into the room and crossed her arms as she leaned against the door frame. "You did an amazing job finding her. The Illusive Man is very impressed."

"I didn't do it for him," Luke said leaning forward on the rail.

"I know, but he is impressed with you all the same. He is offering to leave you in command of the Wolf Pack until Commander Shepard has recovered," Miranda stated as she started forward.

"I figured as much. He wants me to take on missions of my choosing, right? How am I suppose to trust squad when all I know about them is their specialty and a call sign?" Luke asked keeping his eyes fixed on the ballet of machines below. He felt Miranda place a hand on his shoulder, but he moved to the other side of the room.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Shepard. I was against bringing you in to the organization, but I was wrong. You're a skilled operative. I think you will be a great asset to Cerberus and vice versa, if you let us," Miranda stated.

Luke sighed and turned to face her. "So you think I should use Cerberus for the resources? You scratch my back, I scratch yours?"

"Shepard, You are a hero to the rest o f the galaxy, all of you are. So yes, use the resources we can give you and help prepare for the Reapers. You know as well as I do that the council is going to sweep the reapers under the rug. They already started," Miranda stated opening her omni-tool and forwarding a news report.

Luke opened his and read through it quickly. It held several quotes from the council explaining that Sovereign was an isolated incident; a geth dreadnaught. "We better get Claire back soon. We're going to need her now more than ever," Luke said leaning on the rail once again.

"You know this is going to take a lot of work. The helmet kept her brain intact but rest of the damage is worse than we anticipated," Miranda said stepping to his side. Luke glanced over at her and sighed.

"I wasn't expecting it to be as simple as giving her a shot and she's better, but I never expected this." Luke placed his hand on the window. His eyes came to rest on the clear, blue serum being pumped into Claire by the gallon. "The J-11 serum?" Luke asked looking back at Miranda.

"To be more specific, it's J-11-43-S. It is the greatest medical advancement since the discovery of penicillin. It will restore dead cells and even prolong their lives," she responded. She looked extremely proud of it. Luke wanted to snap at her for having pride in something that hurt so many people to make.

"Why not release this to the public? If it can bring people back and save lives, why keep it in the dark?" Luke asked looking back at the woman. He had to hide how he really felt about the serum

"Because this batch was tailored to your sister's DNA with as much trial and error as when they tested the first batch on you. There is one that we do hand out to Cerberus biotic commandos, but it's more of a biotic boost though. It still helps with healing wounds but not as much a plain medi-gel would," Lawson stated. Luke cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms.

"Biotic boost? You mean it enhances biotic abilities." That caught his attention.

"Just like how it gave you your abilities. I'm sure that with the new LX5 implant the Illusive Man is giving you and a few doses of the J-11-29 serum, you could be more powerful than any of us." Luke turned back to the glass as his fingers wrapped around the flask in his pocket.

"Let's do it," Luke stated taking a long drink from his flask.

"You'll have to stop that. The procedures to put in the implant will need you to be alcohol free for three days," Miranda stated taking the flask out of his hand and closing it.

"Fine, just…just make it quick," Luke said reluctantly. He took the flask back and slipped it back into his pocket. Luke folded his arms and set his elbows in the guard rail.

"By the way, I'm heading to the mess hall. Can I buy you dinner?" Luke raised an eyebrow before glancing back at Miranda. Did she just…no way…did she just ask…

"Isn't the food free?" Luke said standing up straight and turning to face her.

"Yes but that doesn't mean we can't eat together." Miranda smiled and placed her hands on her hips.

"So, are you wanting a dinner date or something?" Luke asked raising an eyebrow. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ear with a confident smile.

"Would that really be so bad?" Miranda asked crossing her arms. Luke pursed his lips slightly bobbing his head from side to side as if considering his options.

"I could do worse," Luke said before turning to look back at Claire. It would be months before Claire was even close to being whole again, then probably a year more before she was ready to wake up. He needed to make sure that he would be there when she woke up.

000

The iv in his hand filled his veins with the anesthesia as Miranda and two doctors stood over him. The lights on the ceiling reminded him of the interrogation rooms at C-Sec, but the chilling breeze of the recycled and filtered air passing over the thin patient robe was definitely a new addition. Luke had not been under medication since after the Battle of the Citadel, but with doctors drilling into his head he was happy to be out cold. Though his fear of the syringes of serum that rested on the table to his left clawed at every sense he had. Voices screamed out in his head pleading for him not to give in to the temptation.

Miranda stood over him looking down with a warm look in her eyes. According to everything he had heard about her, she never had a warm anything; always ridged with protocols and a cold, driven demeanor. Yet, as her black hair fell past her ears, another person seemed to form from her face and the shadows. Luke shut his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, yet sure enough there she was, the only person Luke could see. Ashley stood in front of him with those hazel eyes gazing lovingly down on him. He had to be dreaming… Could the anesthesia have already kicked in? Was this a dream or heaven?

"I miss you," Luke said trying to reach out and embrace her but she seemed to be just out of his grasp.

"What are you thinking? This is dangerous Luke. I understand why but still…what were you thinking?" Ashley's voice roared in his ears as she paced like she use to on the Normandy. The same worried-angry face she got when he did something reckless on a mission.

"I'm thinking I need to get stronger so I won't loose Claire again…like I lost you," Luke replied. This time when he reached for her, their fingers interlocked and Luke's heart nearly skipped a beat. Feeling her fingers wrap around his hand one more time caused a him to smile from ear to ear. He had longed to feel her hand in his, to touch those gorgeous locks of dark chocolate, and to have the feeling of electricity cascade over his skin every where she touched.

"Remember who you are and where your loyalties lay." Ashley looked down at her feet as she held tight to Luke's hand. Luke reached his other hand out and cupped her cheek. He smiled and pulled her closer planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Before he could back away, she kissed him passionately. He had longed for this the most. The feel of her body pressing against him, her lips welcoming him and cradling him, making him believe everything was going to be okay.

"I really miss you, Ash," Luke said pulling back.

"Luke, don't be afraid to live. If you keep trying to relive the past and change it, you'll never be happy and I want you to be happy." The sorrow in Ashley's eyes broke Luke's heart. Part of him was screaming that this Ashley wasn't real, but the other part knew she was right, real or not. _This was what Ashley would have told me. She loved me. All she wanted was for me to be happy, right?_

As quickly as she had appeared, Ashley vanished as the operating room came back into view. His head ached and he could feel bandages pressing against his skin and his forehead. He blinked several times but he still felt so sleepy.

"Can you hear me Shepard?" Miranda asked softly. Luke blinked a few more times and started to sit up. "Easy, you're still heavily sedated," Miranda protested placing her hands on either shoulder and gently pushing him back into bed.

Luke touched his head and found a thin bandage covering the small areas behind both his ears. Looking up at Miranda, he was not sure why there were two bandages. He was only getting one implant. What had they done to him?

"We had to put an inhibitor chip in because with the new serum enhancing your existing biotic talents, there was a possibility of frying your implant with too much power," Miranda stated taking his hand away from the bandages and placing it back down on the gurney.

Luke sighed and closed his eyes. He needed some rest. He'd confront this new development when he woke up. For now, he hoped the dream would continue.


	6. Chapter 6

**Again thanks to BlackBeltDancer for talking through ideas with me. Please read, review, and enjoy!**

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For two weeks Luke had been laid up in the hospital wing recovering from his surgery, but no he was in action. He trained every day in gym, always pushing himself as hard as he could, never taking a day off, always pushing himself to the breaking point. His movement and power definitely had improved, but his endurance needed work...a lot of work. One singularity reduced him to panting and sweating profusely. Throws came easily enough but any more than six and his energy ran out. Frustrating would not have even begun to describe it.

"You can't rely on just the biotics. You physical strength needs to come into play too. Throw like you were throwing a ball," Gamma stated sitting down in the corner of the room. The biotic had taken on the role of training Luke to use his new implants. He had suggested combining an amp with his implant to help with his endurance, but Luke preferred to get his own endurance up without the amp, that way he would increase his strength and stamina even more with the amp later. Gamma had said that he understood and pushed Luke harder every day.

"Okay…" Luke said forming the blue energy around his hand. He hurled the energy like he was pitching a baseball. The orb shot through the air like a comet across the night sky and smashed into the target on the opposite side of the room. Much to Luke's surprise, the orb flung the target against the wall, smattering the fiberglass plate.

"Not bad, but make sure that you balance the biotic power and the physical. Too much of either and you'll wear yourself out faster. Anyway, let's call it a day," Gamma said standing and tossing Luke a towel and a water bottle.

Wiping his face, Luke noticed a small amount of blood coming from his nose. He cursed under his breath as he wiped it away. Every day it was the same thing, nosebleeds and migraines. He grabbed a small bottle of pain killers and popped two pills in his mouth to help knock out his headache.

"I'm guessing the nose bleeds will stop once I get my endurance up?" Luke asked as Gamma entered the locker room. He followed taking a long drink from the water bottle. He needed a hot shower and a cold drink, though the drink he was trying to do without. He had stopped drinking cold turkey and it was taking its toll. While in the hospital wing with pain killers and other drugs pouring through his system, he had not missed the alcohol so much. Now all he had were two migraine pills after each work out and that was it.

"They will. You just have to learn to control the power you put out and pace yourself. Your brain needs time to adjust to how much power it has," Gamma stated removing his shirt and placing it in his locker. "Speaking of pacing yourself, I heard you went on a mess hall date with Miranda."

"Geez, are all Cerberus commandos gossipy little school girls? I swear I've heard more gossip in the last three weeks than I heard on the Normandy the entire time I was on board," Luke said taking a drink from the water bottle. Of course most of the gossip he heard was either about him or Miranda, but most of the regular staff had rumors that fly around about the Wolf Pack.

"Come on Alpha, it's just locker room talk. Besides, if you don't set the record straight, the story's going to keep on growing," Gamma said turning to face his team leader and crossing his arms expectantly.

Luke chuckled and stripped his shirt. "Yeah, I know how it goes. So, yes, Miranda and I went on a mess hall date, but she asked me. "

Gamma grinned from ear to ear. "The pack had a pool going on you, you know."

"A pool? What're you guys betting on? My dating life?" Luke asked as he grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.

"How long it would take before you make a move on one of the girls here," Gamma answered. Luke let out a suddenly laugh. It had been a long time since he had been truly amused by anything. Gamma definitely had a relaxing demeanor about him. The biotic made the Cerberus facility actually seem welcoming, not to mention the training he provided was top notch. The file Luke had been given had been extremely redacted. He did not even know the man's real name. "So, how'd it go?"

"The date? I'm not sure you can really call it a date, but as far as awkward first dates go…I've had worse," Luke responded stepping into the shower and closing the curtain. Gamma took the shower two doors down. They were the only two in the room. Everyone else had either gone to bed or were on duty. It felt safe enough to talk with Gamma about something as normal as girls.

"I never would have thought you and Miranda. No offense or anything, but seriously, she's way out of any soldier's league. A woman like her I think would go for a doctor or scientist, you know. Someone with money to burn," Gamma stated. Luke turned the water on and allowed the steaming water to pelt his face. The relaxing and continuous rhythm of the drops felt amazing on his aching head. His muscles relaxed and he realized just how tired and sore he was.

"Miranda's got a bit more to her. She's seen her fair share of combat, and I'm pretty sure having a sugar daddy would just bore her to tears," Luke responded rubbing his face to try and get as much of the blood from his nose bleed off as he could.

Gamma let out a laugh. "You're probably right, but I really thought you would go after Sigma or Kappa. Honestly, I'd go for blondes more than brunettes."

"You realize Kappa dyes her hair right?" Luke said scrubbing his hair. He made sure that his fingers did not scrub too hard over the implants. The spots still bothered him if he had too much pressure on them, especially after a workout when they got too hot.

"Okay, but Sigma's hot too," Gamma stated. Luke laughed and stretched.

"Yeah, I'll give you that one. She's got that librarian appeal with those glasses and how she's always typing on that omni-tool of hers," Luke said smiling. Luke finished rinsing and grabbed his towel. Girls… could he really be talking about something so normal with this Cerberus Commando.

"What about Theta?" Gamma asked.

"Honestly, any girl that can put a shot in me without me ever seeing it coming scares me a little. Don't get me wrong, every girl in the wolf pack is gorgeous, but Miranda's… I don't know. I guess she kind of looks like someone I use to know," Luke said as he finished drying off and slipped on a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt. Luke made sure his sleeve covered the tattoo on his upper left arm as Gamma stepped out

"Who?" Gamma asked. Luke tossed his towel in the laundry and glanced back at the biotic. Gamma slipped a shirt on over his head and tossed Luke his own towel for him to drop it in the laundry chute as well.

"This girl I met when I was on the Normandy with Claire… I…" Luke's voice trailed off as thoughts of Ashley flooded his mind and tears swelled in his eyes. Ever since that dream during his surgery, he could not stop thinking about her.

"I'm guessing that didn't end well, huh?" Gamma said putting on his uniform. The outfit reminded Luke of the Alliance casual uniforms but it was in black, white, and yellow with a Cerberus emblem on both shoulders.

"You could say that… she died on Virmire in the nuclear blast." Luke choked out on the last few words before wiping his eyes. Gamma fell silent as Luke massaged his hands. He did not know what the commando was thinking, but Luke hoped he was not judging him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory," Gamma said placing a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"I haven't talked about her in months. Not since Claire died. She was always the one I talked to about this kind of stuff," Luke said as he slipped on his hoodie.

"I'm the same way with my cousin. He's always full of good advice," Gamma said leaning against the wall.

Luke smirked and zipped his hoodie up. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"Yeah, he's in command of the SSV Lincoln ground forces." Gamma's expression darkened. Luke could see there was something that weighed on him,

"How'd someone like you end up with Cerberus? You don't seem like the terrorist type," Luke said turning to face the biotic.

"I use to be in the Alliance. Served under Lieutenant Sovoloski as a biotic commando. Landed on the Citadel on Tayseri Ward and saw Sovereign first hand. Right after the battle, some politician visited all the united that were inside and tried to get troops to come forward as witnesses saying that Sovereign was a geth dreadnaught rather than a reaper. Even before the commander died the council started covering up the attack. I couldn't stay if they were going to ignore the largest threat, so when a recruiter approached me about fighting the reapers, there wasn't much of a choice," Gamma stated. Luke could tell that the decision weighed on him greatly, just like him.

"I'm guessing you have some hesitations about working with Cerberus?" Luke said as he headed for the doors. Gamma caught up to him and walked in step with him.

"A few things have turned my stomach a little, yeah. The experiments on human beings, then there were those projects that got hundreds of people killed. I think they do need to try and advance technology, weapons, and whatever, but they need to make sure not to loose their humanity while trying to save it," Gamma said.

"I definitely agree with you on that one. I actually destroyed a few Cerberus projects myself with Claire. I argued with myself about this position more than anything else," Luke said touching his upper left arm. "But I figured I needed to finish the fight Claire started, and like you said, only Cerberus is fighting the real enemy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the next chapter where we get to have a look at Mallory for the first time in this fic. I have to say, although it is a bit to keep up with, it is so much fun having three Shepards. Anyway, please read and review, and as always, enjoy!**

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Mallory sat at her desk reading over maintenance reports and a few status assessments. The Athens was a fine ship to say the least. It could not hold a candle to the Normandy, but it was a solid warship. Since the funeral, Mallory had been on assignment with the 8th Scout Flotilla, searching for any remaining pockets of geth resistance. In those three months, all they had found were mercenary groups, pirates, and a cult (which was the only interesting discovery as of yet).

Running her fingers over a holo of the Normandy crew on her desk, her lips parted in a small smile.

She missed them all of course, but Kaidan she missed most. She knew he was working for Alliance Espionage and Intelligence Service but surely he could get a message to her letting her know he was alright.

Tali and Liara still called regularly. Tali had been praised by the flotilla for delivering the geth data Claire had given her. According to her, she was put on the same project as her father as an acquisition specialist. She even had a team under her command. Mallory had a hard time picturing the sweet, little, innocent Tali they had rescued from a back alley in command of anything. But with her field experience and tech savvy, she would be a great choice.

Liara had become a little distant lately. She had mentioned something about Luke a few months ago, but Mallory had not paid much attention. According to Anderson and a few of her old comrades, Luke spent day and night at Flux drinking himself under the table. Although recently Anderson had not been very forthcoming about Luke and his whereabouts.

Garrus had all but vanished and Wrex was too busy on Tuchunka to talk to her very much. Not that they had while on the Normandy anyway. They had always been closer to Luke.

Of course Luke she had not heard from at all. The last words she had heard him say to her were that he wished she had died instead of Claire. They were both in mourning so that was understandable. But to fall back into his old habits of remaining so distant, not letting her know how he was or if he was still alive, that made her angry. He was such a brat, but Claire's voice whispered at her ears telling her to be the bigger person and go talk to him, call him, something to show that she still loved him. After all, it had been several months since the funeral, almost five months to be more accurate.

" _Commander Shepard, please report to the comm room,_ " the intercom announced. Mallory stacked the data pads neatly and straightened her uniform.

As she made her way down the corridors, marines and crewmen alike saluted respectfully. Discipline and procedure, that was the way to run a ship. Claire had been too lenient in Mallory's mind. Luke's destruction of the cargo bay, his prank with the extra planet on the galaxy map, and non-Alliance personnel having access to top-secret military hardware all demonstrated a lack of discipline. But that was Claire's ship, the Athens was hers.

As she entered the comm room, Capt. John Keller stood at the terminal looking nervous. Keller was a fine captain and had served in the first contact war. Mallory didn't think there was anything that could make him nervous.

"Staff Commander Mallory Shepard reporting as ordered, sir," Mallory recited as she saluted crisply.

"Come in Commander. We have a situation on Helyme in the Zelene System. It's in the Cresent Nebula. This is a very sensitive mission and must be conducted quickly and quietly," the captain explained pointing to the planet on the galaxy map.

"But sir, that's in the Terminus Systems. Alliance Military ships are not allowed to cross into Terminus space," Mallory stated. No wonder the captain was nervous. If this was a mission passed down by the brass, they were playing a very dangerous game.

"I know, but the mining facility there has been taken over by a mercenary group. The company that owns it has supplied the Alliance and other human colonies in the past with resources. It's a lot of political bull shit that I don't understand but that is the way it is. I want you to prepare a landing party, take however many men you think you might need, but they are not to wear anything that would signal that they're Alliance Marines. Do I make myself clear?" The captain looked extremely nervous to here her answer, and rightly so. This was no way for a soldier to conduct itself. If anyone asked, they were simply rendering aid to a facility that needed their help. Although, if the force controlling the facility was one of the larger mercenary groups, they could be in for a real fight and a political shit-storm.

"I'll have two squads ready to deploy upon arrival Captain. What's our ETA?"

"Three hours. Get them ready commander," Capt. Keller responded saluting. Mallory returned the salute before jogging from the comm room.

This was her chance. Her chance to show that she could command a ground team just as well as Claire could. She could be the hero for once rather than the Butcher of Torfan. If she could save those people, with little or no lose of her own men, then she would be well on her way to building a better reputation with the marines.

000

Mallory stood dumbstruck as she gazed about the facility. Civilians and mercenaries a like lay slaughtered across the floor of the main hallway and every room and corridor they had searched so far. Blood of nearly every shade decorated the walls like a cheap haunted house, but this time the bodies were real.

"Ma'am, I ran an analysis on the bodies and I found something kind of strange," the medic reported bringing up two separate sets of data on his omni-tool. Mallor y stepped to his side so she could read over his shoulder. "All the civilians that I found were all killed at least ten hours ago, but the mercs, they were all killed only about an hour ago. Judging from the wounds, I'd say it was a really well trained team. They were using biotics, drones, and military grade weapons. We must have just missed the team that cleared this place out."

Mallory removed her helmet and latched onto her belt. Did another unit get called in on this or had the company hired another merc group to do it for them? They needed to know if a new major player was in the Terminus. They already had blood Pack, Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Omega to worry abou, not to mention the Shadow Broker and all the corporation on Illium.

"I want this place searched. We know that Eclipse was the aggressor here, but I want to know who wiped them out," Mallory ordered as the group started checking bodies and desks.

Mallory wished they had an Alliance Investigator with them. They were paid to figure out things like this. Mallory made her way down the hall into the mainframe server room. She had picked up a few things from Kaidan about collecting data, but she still had a long way to go before she could be considered tech savvy with anything.

As she scrolled through the security tapes, most had been deleted but one small segment remained. A white shuttle with black and yellow markings landing on the pad and deploying eight heavily armored and well equipped soldiers. All the armor was white and black with yellow accents. She zoomed in on the photo and spotted a symbol on one of the soldiers' chests; the greek letter Alpha with a wolf head in the center. On the other side was a symbol that she had hoped never to see again.

"Cerberus." Mallory spat the name like it was poison. She had hoped that they had gotten rid of them during their mission against Saren, but it appeared that her hopes were short lived.

" _Commander, we found something,_ " one of the marines reported over the radio.

"Roger that, I'm on the way," Mallory responded.

 _How could Cerberus be here, and what was with the new symbol? Was it a new unit? A rogue faction? Were they extremists trying to frame Cerberus?_

She made her way down the hall until she found a large open room with dozens of Eclipse mercs dead all across the room. Three of her marines gathered on the far side surrounding something. As Mallory approached, the men parted revealing an image etched into the metal column. As she stared at it, the familiarity of the image grew in her mind until she realized what it was. The pointed top, finger-like appendages off the bottom, and the message carved next to hit screamed one thing, Reaper. The message was short, ' _Prepare yourselves.'_

She photographed the image and looked back at her men. "Make sure to mention this in your debrief. We have to get this on record."

000

Luke sat at his terminal monitoring the distress channels and keeping an eye on the Alliance traffic. The operation on Helyme was a huge success. The Wolf Pack suffered no casualties, no one was even injured. The team had found a groove that everyone fit into in a few short weeks. All Luke wanted to do was find more missions to take them on, but nothing for Cerberus, rescue work, mercenary elimination, and missions that would help supply or support Claire when she woke up only.

"All gear is clean and stowed, Alpha. We thought we might hit the bar. Want to join?" Jacob reported leaning against the door frame.

"No time. I think I might have another mission. Small unit this time. Volunteers only," Luke responded typing a few notes on his omni-tool as his eyes set on a message coming over the intergalactic distress system.

"What's the mission?" Jacob asked.

"A freighter crashed on Neith, Amun System in the Eagle Nebula. Apparently, it started broadcasting a mayday after it crashed. Should be just a quick in an out mission. Nothing me and one or two others couldn't handle." Luke closed his terminal and locked it before making his way out of the small office.

The Wolf Pack stood silent in their uniforms waiting for Luke to give them the okay to leave. Luke felt awful taking a night that should be for celebrating and turning it into another mission, but he wanted to keep busy since progress on Claire was slow. They had only just started to grow the limbs that she lacked. He knew Claire would not be ready to wake up for a long time, so the least he could do was honor her and continue doing the kind of work she would do.

"I need two volunteers for a search and rescue op. I know we just got back from a merc ass kicking but this is a fresh call. Civilian freighter that crashed. We're just looking for survivors, investigating the crash for a cause, and looking for anything that can be salvaged. Who's in?" Luke announced. Gamma's hand immediately shot up followed closely by Sigma. "Great. Gamma, Sigma, suit up. The rest of you, take the night off and enjoy the bar."

"Wait, you don't want anyone else on standby?" Jacob asked stepping to Luke's side.

"No this is an easy mission. In and out maybe an hour or two. We'll be back in no time," Luke said turning to the lockers and waving for his two volunteers to follow.

"You know nothing ever goes to plan," Jacob shouted after him.

"That's why I'm not going alone," Luke replied.


	8. Chapter 8

**In the spirit of the holidays, I give you the next chapter of Soldiers and Spies. Thank you to all of you who leave reviews, it really brightens up my day to hear back from some of my readers. Also thank you to BlackBeltDancer for bouncing ideas around with me and catching a few of my plot holes. YOU'RE AWESOME! Please read and review, but most of all, enjoy! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And a very happy NEW YEAR!**

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Luke, Gamma, and Sigma sat in the shuttle on the way back to base in complete silence. The mission had not gone anywhere near as planned. They had landed on Neith at the crash site and everything seemed fine. Piles of salvageable material they could use to help in the reconstruction on Claire's ship lay spread across the site like dandelion seeds. While data mining the crash's operating core, Sigma had discovered that a virus had caused the crash by shutting down key systems while the VI tried to fight back. They were shutting down the emergency beacon so they could head back to the shuttle, and of course that was when the mission went to hell in a hand basket. Virus-infected mechs attacking form all sides along with a heavy mech blocking their path to the shuttle. Luke could not have planned a more perfect ambush himself. The mechs had all closed in around them like a noose. If it had not been for Gamma and Luke's combine biotic strength supplemented by Sigma hacking several mechs so they would fight for them, they would not have made it out.

Gamma started chuckling as he ran his fingers through his hair. Luke raised his eye brow as he looked up at the man. Gamma had been quiet for hours. What would make him laugh now?

"The hell is so funny?" Luke asked. Sigma turned to face the biotic, obviously curious about the answer too.

"Easy in and out mission. You could have done this one alone," Gamma responded making his voice deeper to resemble Jacob's. Luke smiled and chuckled to himself. As always, everything got more complicated. It always did. Alliance forces coming in after them at the mining facility certainly made things more interesting, and of course having Feron on the mission to recover Claire turned into a mess with his dual loyalties.

The shuttle glided into the hanger and landed softly. Luke stood and collected his helmet from the seat and hoped out as the door opened. His joints ached as his feet hit the ground and he glanced down at his armor. The shine had faded from the now heavily used armor. Burns and dust covered every surface of his once white armor.

As he looked up, he spotted Jacob and Theta coming to meet him. The two saluted quickly before taking his helmet from him.

"I heard there were some mechs that had a virus on that freighter. How bad?" Jacob asked as he handed Luke a data pad. Luke accepted it and started reading through the report. Apparently, several corporations were having problems with their security mechs and all were from the same assembly line. An odd coincidence…and of course, a cop never believed in coincidence. Luke smirked at the thought. Even after everything he had been through and done, deep down he was still a cop.

"Bad enough. Looks like we've got some work to do. Check the security systems for the Lazarus Project. I don't want this virus getting anywhere near them. Understood?" Luke said facing Jacob. The man nodded and saluted. "Sigma, go with him. I want a very thorough check of those systems. After that, take some R&R. Three missions in a row is a little much for anyone."

"Yes Alpha. Thanks," she answered stepping back into the shuttle with Jacob. Luke nodded and headed for the locker room with Gamma as Jacob and Sigma's shuttle took off.

"Hey Alpha, you really think that virus could reach Lazarus?" Gamma asked as Luke pushed the panel to door open. Luke didn't answer. He knew it was a long shot for a virus to reach a system that was a closed network, but he did not want to take any chances. He had even convinced the Illusive Man to let him monitor the personal accounts and correspondents of the entire lab's staff to watch for moles.

"Don't worry about it. Right now all I want to do is take a shower. I never thought fighting mechs would be such a work out," Luke said. He opened his locker and found a small metal container with a note sitting where his helmet went. Glancing to either side, Luke took the note and began to read. A small smile found its way across his lips as he slipped the box into a carrying pouch on his armor. No one but him needed to know what was inside.

"So are you ever going to tell me what your real name is?" Gamma asked as he headed into the shower room.

"You haven't told me yours," Luke replied grabbing a towel and heading in himself.

"Yeah but you already have a file for me and you seem to be able to get any information you want. You even knew that Delta was gay before speaking to him," Gamma answered. Luke laughed and turned on the water.

"That's 'cause he was hitting on you and Beta every three seconds," Luke responded.

"Come on Alpha. We've been working together for a few months now and I know you know Beta's real name. I'm sure you know mine," Gamma shouted.

"Correct on all counts but I'm Alpha of the Wolf Pack. Can't really have my team knowing exactly who I am," Luke shouted back. He didn't mind being friends with his team. Hell, it worked really well for Claire on the Normandy, but this was a Cerberus team. Could he really show who he really was around his team?

"Why not? What would be so bad about me knowing who you are?" Gamma asked.

"I guess not. Beta and Miranda know my real name anyway. Sooner or later, one of them might slip up and say it," Luke said as he finished washing off. He dried himself quickly and slipped on his cargo pants and boots.

"So?" Gamma asked rounding the corner as he slipped on his shirt. Luke smirked and turned revealing the tattoo on his upper arm. Luke had gotten use to seeing the N7 in the mirror, bold and proud on his skin.

"My name is Luke Shepard." It had been a long time since he had said his name to someone else. Everyone either called him 'Alpha' or (for Miranda) 'Shepard' in recent months. Every introduction had been as Alpha of the Wolf Pack.

"Wait, Shepard? As in Commander Claire Shepard and the Normandy! You're her brother!? I remember Beta calling you Shepard when you got into the shuttle on Illium, but I never thought… Wow I feel like an idiot," Gamma stood in shook as he looked at his friend.

"Yeah, Claire's my sister. We've got another sister named Mallory, but she's still with the Alliance. We haven't talked since Claire's funeral," Luke said. He tried to stop there but he wanted to be at least a little honest with someone. "Claire always acted like the older sister when we were growing up. Mal and me…we always fought about everything except who I needed to beat down after a guy dumped her." Luke chuckled at the memory of Mal running up to him two weeks before their 15th birthday in tears asking him to beat up her ex. Although Luke got in trouble for it, he and Mal did not fight again for a whole two months after that. Luke figured that was worth the trade off of being grounded for a week.

"I still can't believe it. You're Commander Shepard's brother. That's just so cool. I thought you were just part of the Normandy team with the way you talked about the Commander," Gamma said as his eyes fell on the ink on his skin. "And that's for her?"

Luke touched the ink and turned to look at it in the mirror. The white letter and number with the crimson symbol on the end clenched his skin. 'N7' was the only thing Luke could think of to do Claire justice. Simple and noble, famous and mysterious, elegant and powerful all at the same time just like Claire.

"Yeah, that's for her," Luke said running his fingers over the inked skin. "So, Miles Brinkman, that satisfy your curiosity?"

Gamma's mouth fell open upon hearing his real name. "Cerberus didn't give you a file with my real name in it. How did you figure it out? Seriously!"

"I use to be a cop, man. I investigated for a living. Secrets are never as well hidden as people think," Luke replied flipping his shirt over his head and heading toward his room.

"So you figured out my real name and everything from…what? Stuff I said? My Cerberus file?" Gamma asked trailing a couple paces behind him.

"All of the above plus some," Luke stated opening his door. As the team leader of the Wolf Pack, he was required to have his own room for mission briefings and classified updates on other projects.

"Oh come on, give me hint," Gamma pleaded as Luke stepped in and turned to face Gamma.

"You have the same technique as most Alliance biotics who trained in the Ascension program," Luke said closing the door and locking it. He knew Gamma would ask him later about what he said but it was the truth. He had been watching people for fourteen years now for a living. He had to learn to read people fast or die. After the first five years, reading people became second nature. The little things gave the subjects of his observations away. The way they carried themselves could tell him about their childhood and upbringing or what kind of struggle or triumph they had just undergone. People he fought with tended to reveal a lot more. The way they held a gun would reveal the type of training they received including Alliance regular military, police, military police, sniper, commandos, and multiple others. Sometimes he could even spot the type of specialized training someone had, but that was only on rare occasions and only after observing them for a long time.

" _Shepard, there is a top priority mission I have for you,_ " the Illusive Man stated from behind him. Luke turned to see the hologram of the man smoking his cigarette in the corner of his room.

"What happened? Is something wrong with Claire?" Luke asked opening his personal terminal to check his messages.

" _Commander Shepard is still being reconstructed. However, the project has had a setback. Operative Lawson tells me that they need a certain piece of equipment and a special compound to help in the recovery of her memories and personality. This is not just some trivial matter. We need Commander Shepard, not just her body, her. If her personality, morals, or memories are altered in anyway, we will have failed. That can't happen. Can I count on you to assist in this operation?"_ the Illusive Man asked taking a long drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray in the armrest of his chair.

"To get Claire back, I'll lead the damn mission. What are we after and where's it at?" Luke asked.

" _Operative Lawson will brief you in person. She is on route,_ " the Illusive Man stated as the transmission cut out.

Luke ran his hand over his hair. It had started getting longer. Everything started changing since he joined up with Cerberus. None of this was how he planned it. He never planned on having a relationship with Miranda. He hadn't expected to become friends with Gamma. Luke looked at himself in the mirror and realized a shadow of red whiskers now covered his face in a thin beard. He smirked as he stepped into his bathroom and picked up the razor. The plan changed, he would have to as well.

000

The shuttle landed as Miranda smiled seeing Luke on the platform with two of his men in their Cerberus dress uniforms. She found it odd since Luke usually never wore the white suit and coat.

"Alpha, it is good to see you," Miranda said with a smile as Luke offered her his hand.

"Likewise. I was informed that you had something for me," Luke answered.

 _Odd, this is not like him. He's never straight to business or this formal. Something must be wrong._ As the thoughts echoed in her mind, she noticed Luke's appearance. He looked to have a beard beginning on his chin extending up to a soul patch. His hair showed he had prepared and styled it but it was much longer than the last time she had seen him a few weeks earlier.

"Yes, we can discuss it in private," Miranda answered. If Luke was being formal because of his men, she needed to get him alone so she could find out what was going on.

"Right this way," Luke said offering his arm to escort her. She was not comfortable with this new Luke but she liked this treatment. Of course, this only increased her curiosity.

Luke lead her to his quarters and dismissed his men before closing the door and activating skiff mode which cut all communication in or out of the room. A precaution to keep prying eyes and ears away from any sensitive material.

"Alright, what's going on with you? You're not acting like the Luke I know," Miranda said tossing her case aside and approaching Luke.

"Nothing, I'm embracing the command Cerberus gave me," Luke replied unbuttoning the top fastener of his coat. "What's this equipment and supplies you need?"

Miranda sighed and opened her case. It was obvious Luke was not interested in talking right now and at that exact moment, they had a mission to discuss and plan. Judging from her earlier attempts to recover the items in secret, this would not be an easy operation.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry this took so long. Life never likes to give me enough time to write. I decided to through a little Kaidan and Mallory into this chapter and of course plenty of Luke and the Wolf Pack. Please let me know what you think, good or bad. Enjoy!**

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Luke stood with Gamma, Sigma, and Theta in the number one shuttle while Jacob, Delta, Kappa, and Zeta were in shuttle two. The plan was crazy, that went without saying, but more so than any of Luke's other plans. Miranda had protested but Luke refused to change the plan at all.

"Alpha, you know this is nuts. I mean, attacking Peak 9 and that mining facility were out there, but this is so far out there, it's in dark space," Gamma said as he checked his SMG's thermal clip.

"This is not a mercenary force. These guys are Alliance soldiers. None of them are to be killed or permanently injured," Luke responded making sure his pistol was set to the disruptor, omni-bullets. Omni-bullets were what Alliance used for N7 live combat training. Replacements for the old fashion rubber bullets from the 21st century, omni-bullets would not leave any permanent damage on any one they hit, but it would knock them out for hours. With the disruptor round setting, the bullets would be able to short out the target's shields and hamper the movement of motorized joints. Unless something truly drastic happened, Luke's orders to not kill any Alliance soldiers should have been easy to follow.

"Insertion in ten seconds," the pilot announced. The shuttle rocked form side to side as flack from the base swatted at them. Luke smiled and clenched his fists allowing his biotics to build around him.

"Gamma, you ready for this?" Luke asked as he glowed blue. Gamma stepped to his side as his biotics encircled him as well.

"Hell yeah," Gamma responded.

"Drop point in three, two, one, GO!" the pilot shouted as the door opened. Without hesitation or a second look, Luke and Gamma threw themselves out the door and plummeted toward the landing pad.

"Don't release until until the last twenty feet," Luke stated. They had to time this just right or they could kill themselves or the Alliance soldiers firing at them.

"Three seconds," Gamma responded.

"Two…one…NOW!" they shouted in unison. The mirrored each other's movements perfectly as they flipped forward , reorienting themselves with their feet toward the ground and released a massive pulse of biotic energy. The wave of blue particles erupted from their cores and slowed their descent while sending several of the Alliance soldiers flying backward. The force would have wounded them, but not killed them.

Their feet hit the landing pad a little harder than they had expected and the both fell. Luke groaned as he rolled himself behind a few cargo containers as he tried to catch his breath. Gamma had done the same in the opposite direction.

"You alright?" Luke asked waving over at Gamma.

"Yeah, that was kinda fun. Let's do that again," Gamma responded. Luke chuckled as he looked up to see the two shuttles swooping in behind them. He pulled his pistol and started firing in the general direction of the Alliance troops as the rest of the Wolf Pack poured out.

"Push to the door!" Luke shouted waving everyone forward and taking the lead. Jacob brought up a barrier in front of them as the team pushed forward stunning their opponents as they moved. Theta took out the snipers that had taken position on the observation deck overlooking the landing pad as Delta, Kappa, and Gamma pelted the door with continuous fire.

When the team reached the door, Sigma hacked in and downloaded the facility floor plan as she opened the door. Luke glanced around the corner into the facility as bullets whizzed past, one ricocheting off his helmet.

"Gamma, Beta, barriers. I'm sending a shockwave down the hallway. Delta, Kappa, be ready to move. Theta, provide long range cover fire," Luke ordered. The team moved like a well oiled machine. Luke stepped out as the barriers surrounded him and he unleashed his shockwave that thundered down the hallway. Delta and Kappa sprinted past him, their weapons blazing followed closely by Jacob and Sigma, then Gamma and Theta. Luke let out a sigh and took cover as his team launched their blitzkrieg. Every move they made, the alliance tried to counter, but the team worked counter right back. The security detail seemed to have been thrown together at the last minute. Luke made a mental note to get the facility's files and find out why something so precious was so lightly guarded.

" _Alpha, you with us?_ " Jacob shouted back over the radio.

"On your six. Keep heading for the lab. Delta and Kappa, come with me. There is something off here and I'm curious," Luke responded. The two commandos stepped to his side in a matter of seconds as Luke led them up a hallway toward the main server room and the commanding officer's office.

Luke took shelter at the corner of the last hallway before the main server room. Most of the guards had already been neutralized during the initial assault, but that did not mean an additional security force was not guarding the server room.

"What's got you curious about this, boss?" Delta asked as he turned the corner to clear the hall.

"Yeah, this seems pretty typical to me," Kappa added.

"This unit hasn't been together for very long. Maybe three weeks. They couldn't respond and put up an organized response to our breach and most of them had different unit patches. The commander's most likely new too," Luke said opening his omni-tool and turning to a sealed door. The room had activated a lock system that most banks used on their vaults, far too advanced for any ordinary Alliance officer.

"Commander's hooch?" Delta asked.

"Yeah. They most likely sealed it when the main entrance was breached. I'm going to override it. Be ready," Luke stated as he hacked the lock. As he did, he noticed an outgoing message being routed through the power circuit. A trick that he had used on multiple occasions when backed into a corner when he was with C-Sec. Quickly switching his ear piece over to private mode, he linked into the message and listened.

" _Sir, the only thing I can be sure of is the unit. It's got to be the Wolf Pack. Don't send any reinforcements, they'll be gone before they get here. I don't know why they're here but motion tracking showed them headed for the tech lab. I will contact you once they have left… hopefully._ " Luke listened to the message and shook his head. It seemed the Wolf Pack had become infamous in their own way. He quickly noticed an extra added onto the end of the message. " _If I don't get another message out, let Mallory know I love her."_

Luke immediately backed up and closed the omni-tool. It couldn't be. "What the hell?" Luke muttered.

"You ready to pop it?" Delta asked.

"Negative. Leave it sealed. We hit the server room instead. I've got enough information on the commander," Luke stated pulling his pistol again and waving them on down the hallway.

"How the hell did you get anything about the commander from a sealed lock circuit?" Kappa asked as luck opened his omni-tool again.

"A message going out through the lock circuit. It's an old undercover trick learned with C-Sec," Luke answered. "Turns out I know the commander… I'll explain later if you want, but I want those files first."

"Roger that Alpha," Delta responded. Luke nodded and lead the pair down the hallway to the server room.

 _Of all people to be here and in command, it had to be Kaidan._ Luke remembered Kaidan's meeting with AEIS when Mallory had been reassigned. Was it possible that Kaidan had been posted to the facility as a part of his work with Alliance Intelligence? If so, why? Could they be looking for the Wolf Pack? Could they be looking for Luke? Was he simply there for security? Luke hoped to find those answers in facility files that lay behind the door in front of him.

Luke started the hack on the file room lock and broke through in a matter of seconds. Shaking his head, Luke opened the door and slipped inside.

"Keep watch and let me know when everyone else is pulling out," Luke ordered as he pulled an OSD into the server and started the download. Using his omni-tool, he scanned through some of the files and found mention of the Wolf Pack. It listed possible identities of the members, their training, and who the Alliance believed was their leader. All were way off. Theories about their objectives and targets were closer in some regard but all in all, it appeared the Alliance had not clue as to who they were and what they could do.

"Alpha, the shuttle is on its way and the rest of the team is moving out. We have twenty seconds before we need to move," Kappa stated glancing inside.

"Roger that," Luke responded. He took the OSD and slipped it into his pocket. He would have to go through the intelligence and find the information he wanted. Although he was worried about handing over all the information to the Illusive Man and risk the lives of Alliance soldiers, he would have to give him something.

" _Alpha, an Alliance cruiser is inbound. We need to bug out!_ " Jacob shouted over the radio.

"We'll meet you at the landing pad. We'll have to use the canyon to the east to evade any landing parties," Luke ordered as he, Delta, and Kappa sprinted down the hallway. Thought flooded Luke's mind. What the hell was Kaidan doing at a dinky little science lab on the boarder of Citadel space? For that matter, why was a one of a kind piece of equipment with its complimenting compound stored in the same facility where pirates and mercs could get to it? Nothing about the situation made sense. When he got back to base, he would have to look into it thoroughly.

Luke smirked as he arrived at the landing pad. He stopped short of the shuttle door as he did on most missions making sure that he was the first to land and the last to leave. There were more questions about the operation in his mind, but for the moment all that mattered was they were one step closer to getting Claire back.

000

"Kaidan!" Mallory shouted as she charged forward. The biotic caught her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Five months had passed since they had last seen each other, and Mallory could hardly contain herself.

"I didn't think I was ever going to see you again," Kaidan whispered entangling his fingers in her hair.

"Are you alright?" Mallory asked pulling back and checking him over. Other than the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation, he appeared to be in perfect health. Thankful as she was, this seemed strange. A highly skilled commando team just attacked the facility and Kaidan's armor was not even scratched.

"I've had better days," Kaidan said looking around. Mallory noticed that there were no bodies, no blood, nothing that even suggested an attack except for a few marks on the walls where bullets hit. Mallory took a small step back trying to remain professional in front of her men.

"We got a distress call saying this base was under attack. What happened?" Mallory asked waving her men forward so they could investigate. She had learned from the last operation and brought two Alliance inspectors to make sure they did not miss anything. Though having Kaidan there with her distracted her relentlessly. She had missed him so much.

"I've never seen anything like it. It was a Cerberus team known as the Wolf Pack. They appeared about three or four months ago. They pop up here and there almost at random," Kaidan started. He paused as he looked up at Mallory. She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. The look on her face must have given her away. "What?"

"I've run into them before too, at least I think it was them. A hostage rescue op that turned into an investigation. A Cerberus team with a Wolf emblem got there before we did and killed all the mercs," Mallory stated.

"That's them. The individuals are known only by greek letters. I know that the Alpha was here leading the attack," Kaidan said as he and Mallory stepped over to the side, out of the way of Mallory's investigators and marines.

"The Alpha was the one I saw at the mining facility." Mallory stopped and looked around. "But if this was Cerberus, where are all the dead and injured?"

Kaidan shook his head before answering. "That's the thing, they used omni-bullets with disruptor particles. All non-lethal," Kaidan explained. "No one was killed…well, except for our pride." Kaidan glanced back at the few members of the facility marines that had completely recovered.

"Thank God for that, but what were they here for?" Mallory asked. Kaidan lowered his eyes. He was hiding something, or maybe it had been too long since they had seen each other and she was reading him wrong.

"One of the HIV's stationed here says that they broke into the lab and took a few things. The science was over my head, but it sounded like experimental tech to help soldiers with brain damage." He turned and signaled for one of his men to come forward. "Private, go get Dr. Kennedy."

The marine nodded and took off down the corridor toward the lab as Mallory's team started taking holos of the entrance.

"I…why didn't you contact me?" Mallory asked. Kaidan looked over at her confused.

"They didn't tell you?" Kaidan asked. Mallory shook her head waiting for him to explain. Kaidan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to figure out where to start. "You know I've been working with AEIS but most of it is outreach to human colonies in the Terminus. I told my handler to read you into the operation."

"No one ever read me into anything, but you can now," Mallory said. Everyone left her in the dark. She sincerely hoped that Kaidan was not another one.

"I'm here as an anti-Cereberus task force. We've been getting information from a deep cover agent about Cerberus activities. My job, along with a few others, is investigating anything that could be Cerberus and to make sure they don't gain influence over any of the colonies," Kaidan said softly. Mallory realized that Kaidan was taking a huge risk telling her out in the open like this but she loved him all the more for it.

"Take care of yourself, please. I've lost everyone close to me. I can't lose you too," Mallory said hugging Kaidan tightly and burying her face in his neck. Though he was sweaty, the musky scent of his skin made her remember their time on the Normandy together. How drinks before they boarded the ship for the first time turned into a date, and later a relationship. A sigh escaped her as she remembered the feel of his hand cupping her cheek right before their first kiss. She missed him.

"This assignment won't last forever. We'll be back on Earth before you know it. Once we are, I want to take you to my parents' place outside Vancouver," Kaidan said planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I look forward to it," Mallory responded pressing her lips against his. This might be the last time they saw each other for a while. She wanted to have a kiss that would stay with her until she saw him again. Damned if she didn't get it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, so I have been glued to my screen for several hours just trying not to stall out on this chapter. Result... long chapter this time and it is going to be one of the last before we actually hit the events of ME2. Let me know what you guys think. Please read and review. Enjoy!**

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The reports read like a fiction meant to inspire loyalty and caution rather than conveying information. Laughable really that so many painted the Wolf Pack as fierce monsters with an unquenchable bloodlust. But they were his team, his friends, he trusted them with his life in combat. He even trusted Gamma with some of his past. Talking about it kept his traumatic flashes to a minimum.

Luke peeled the bandage away from his chest and inspected the new ink in the mirror. The black lines curved and swirled creating the tribal design of a wolf head. He had meant to get it as an anniversary present to himself one full year since the Wolf pack had been put together, but the constant missions, resource collection runs, and rescue and reconnaissance operations had delayed his plan…by nearly 6 months.

"Looks good," Gamma said form the doorway. Although Luke knew his name, the wolves would always be their call-signs to him.

"Yeah, it did turn out pretty good didn't it?" Luke answered gingerly touching the still fresh tattoo. He winced and placed a fresh bandage over it.

"How's it feel?" Gamma asked crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"Like I got poked three thousand times in the chest with a needle," Luke responded smiling up at his friend. Gamma chuckled.

"No, I mean, are you nervous about the trip?" Gamma asked. Luke lowered his eyes; a small smile finding its way across his lips, genuine and uninhibited.

"I haven't been back to Lazarus since I transferred Beta there to head up security a few months ago. I guess seeing Claire still on the table…it got to me," Luke rubbing the back of his neck.

Over the past year, his hair had gotten very long. Stray stands fell on his forehead just above his eyebrows with a part down the middle. Miranda had suggested the style. Luke didn't mind the long hair. The main reason he had kept it short before was because of the possibility of getting into fist fights with a suspect. Long hair only invited the opponent to grab hold and use it to their advantage. A thin, well-groomed beard clung to his chin, the same fiery crimson as his and his sisters' hair. There were days now and again that he did not even recognize himself in the mirror.

"That would get to anyone," Gamma assured him as Luke stood and collected his bag. He dressed in his armor just in case he needed to be rerouted, and wearing it everywhere was so much easier than lugging it around.

"Miranda and Wilson say that Claire is starting to look like herself again. It shouldn't be too long now before she wakes up. If they're right, I think after this visit, I'll be recruiting for the mission," Luke stated slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"You know the pack is in right? We wouldn't want you taking on anymore 'easy missions' without us," Gamma replied.

"You're never gonna let me live that down are you," Luke said patting him on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Nope. Besides, you'll need us. Other than you, who else is crazy enough to say yes to a mission that they know nothing about," Gamma asked falling in step with Luke as he headed for the shuttle bay.

"Point taken, I just didn't want to conscript all of you on a possibly suicidal mission," Luke replied running his fingers through his hair.

"Speaking of suicidal missions, how are you and Miranda? I heard some techs talking about you two going splitsville," Gamma said as they entered the shuttle bay.

"Yeah…she didn't take it very well," Luke said shaking his head. Though the relationship lasted through the time apart, Luke ended it only recently when he found out Miranda had tried to put a control chip in Claire's brain. Much to his shock and relief, the Illusive Man backed him up instead of her saying that the chip might interfere with who Claire was before the explosion. Luke had exploded at both of them and nearly ripped the comm room in half with his biotics.

"Yeah, she seems like someone that always gets her way. Any particular reason?" Gamma asked.

"That I cannot share. Let's just say, what she wanted to do was unacceptable," Luke stated. He knew Gamma's mind would immediately go toward his usual dirty humor to pair with the statement and smirked as the shuttle opened its door.

"Damn, now I'm gonna be thinking about that all day," Gamma shouted pressing his palms to his temples dramatically.

"I've got a solution for that," Luke said as he climbed into the shuttle.

"And what's that?" Gamma asked.

"Don't think about it."

000

The pain seared and throbbed through the entire extent of her body. Every movement felt like a day's work, just trying to open her eyes felt like an impossible task. She tried moving her neck but it felt like she had not moved in days. The stiffness in her neck gave way only for excruciating pain.

As her eyes finally opened, Claire saw a metallic ceiling above her decorated only with long ventilation tubes and dull lights. Her head veered to either side as medical equipment came into view above her.

Like a voice on the other side of a thick window, Claire heard a woman's voice. The tone told her that something was wrong. "There. On the monitor. Something's wrong." Claire did not recognize the voice but she knew the accent. Australian.

Her vision blurred as a second voice reached her. "She's reacting to outside stimuli. Showing an awareness of her surroundings." This one was a man's voice. Gravelly and course, yet she still did not recognize them.

"What the hell are you talking about? You said that she wouldn't regain consciousness for another few months." That voice…a third person…another man…this one she knew, like a distant memory, or a dream.

"My god, I think she's waking up," the first male voice said.

"Damn it Wilson, she's not ready yet. Give her the sedative," the woman ordered. Claire spotted the speaker, a woman with slightly curled dark hair and pale skin. Her vision still remained too blurry to make out a face. A second person came into view dressed in white and black armor with yellow accents holding something under his arm.

Claire looked over to her right as a bald man in a lab coat came into view. He looked down at her for a moment before shaking his head and looking up at the woman on her left. Claire reached up to try and touch the spots on her face that hurt worse than the others.

"Don't try to move," the man in the armor said strictly as he caught her hand and touched her face gently. "Just try to stay calm."

Claire heart pounded in her chest as she tried to figure out what was going on. What happened? What was the last thing she remembered? Where was she? Who were these people?

"Heart rate still rising. Brain activity is off the charts. Stats are pushing into the red zone. It's not working!" the first man exclaimed. The woman stormed over to the console and punched a few buttons.

Claire could feel her heart rate sending painful surges through her body. She could not catch her breath. The pain kept ripping into her like a starving varren into a pyjak. Questions flew so fast through her mind, she was only catching the first few words of each. _Who are… What's…Where am…How…_

"Another dose now!" the woman ordered.

"Claire, try to relax," the third voice said as the man in white armor came closer and cupped her cheek gently. Longer red hair fell into his face as pale, blue eyes looked on her warmly. She knew them. She had seen them all her life. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. His name, she had to call his name. He had to keep her safe.

A wave of numbing bliss washed over her as her vision blurred once more and the man's face lost focus.

"Stats are falling back into an acceptable range. That was close Miranda. We almost lost her," the bald man said punching in some codes on a data pad.

"I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again," Miranda snapped back.

Claire tried to keep her eyes open to watch her brother's face as a small smile graced his lips. "I'll see you again soon."

 _Luke, please keep me safe._

000

Luke sat in the observation room as his hands shook. How could they let that happen? Had she woken up before this? She looked like she was in so much pain, it broke his heart. Thought seeing her alive and moving, seeing her eyes open again, that brought a smile to his face.

"Shepard?"

Luke refused to turn around. Miranda had really screwed up this time. Part of him wanted to simply get up and leave, but his shuttle did not arrive for another two hours.

"Luke, I'm sorry. I'm going to have someone monitor the sedation around the clock. This won't happen again," Miranda promised. Luke shook his head.

"Miranda, get out. You pride yourself on being perfect, so be perfect. No more mistakes. Now leave me alone," Luke retorted. His eyes remained forward only focusing on the room below him as Wilson and two other doctors checked Claire for any adverse effects of her waking up.

"We need to talk. Honestly, we can at least be civil with one another."

"Civil? You want me to be civil with you? Seriously? You were about to put a control chip in my sister's head and just now she nearly died on your operating table right after you brought her back. How many times have you let that happen? How many times have you nearly lost her? And don't give me that bull shit about this being experimental science. I was the damned test subject for the beginning trials!" Luke could feel his face turning red with rage as he shouted and roared at Miranda. Biotic energy sent tingles across his skin as the familiar blue glow danced across his skin.

"That's no reason not to be calm and discuss this rationally," Miranda protested. Luke slammed his fist against the chair he had been sitting in. The biotics flared and sent the chair flaying into the wall smashing it to pieces.

"Rationally speaking, I should never have brought Claire here. This was a million to one odds of this experiment working. Rationally, I should have taken Claire home for a proper burial," Luke roared as the biotic field around him grew. "Get out now!"

Miranda took a step back. Luke wanted her gone. Why wouldn't she leave it alone? She screwed up. Her and her perfect genes screwed the pooch and she wanted him to forgive her. Fat chance of that.

"I-" Miranda began.

"GET OUT!" The verbal eruption was followed immediately by a biotic one that shattered the glass. Miranda lifted a barrier just in time to hold her ground but the blast was so powerful, she had to take a step back. Luke stood in the middle of the room fuming as Miranda sighed and left.

Now alone, Luke turned and looked down at the operating room where the doctors and Wilson were staring up at him. His biotic display must have drawn their attention away from Claire. Taking a calming breath, Luke stepped over to the intercom.

"Make sure she stays alive." Luke didn't say anymore. He didn't feel the need explain his actions or apologize. They were the ones that screwed up.

As he headed toward the shuttle bay, his hands started shaking and he found himself searching his armor for the small metal case he always carried with him. _No, I'm using it up too fast. I'm gonna need it for later._ He assured himself he was okay and rubbed his palms until they stopped shaking. He still craved it, the contents of that little silver tin, but he need to limit himself, or he'd run out too quickly. Not that he was having very much luck with that.

Climbing into the shuttle, Luke opened the case and eyes the syringes inside. The shaking if his hands had subsided but his body still ached. The blue liquid sitting there in his hand ready for the taking. J-11-29. That was the serum label. Miranda had given it to him to help develop his biotic power and give him a boost in battle if he needed it. Not that that made much of a difference to him anymore. He knew it was wrong for him to have it. He had been hooked on the original serum when he was sixteen. The temptation was simply too much. He had seen drug addicts on the Citadel more times than he could count and he could see the same dependency growing inside himself.

"Damn it." The words were not meant to be spoken out loud but there they were. He took a syringe out and twisted the end into a small port on his armor. The port lead down into his biometric monitor that had a net work of microscopic needles inbedded in his skin. Pushing the plunger of the syringe down sent the blue liquid streaming through his veins. He breathed a sigh of relief as the shaking stopped and he felt the biotic energy surge around and through him.

He quickly took the remaining syringes out of the case and slipped them into his armors leg chamber. It was usually for grenades but the extra padding would keep the syringes form breaking. He then dialed up Wilson.

" _What do you need?_ " Wilson asked as his face appeared on Luke's omni-tool. He seemed rather annoyed, but that was nothing new. Wilson always sounded annoyed when he talked to a field agent.

"I just realized that I'm out of serum. I've can you bring me a couple new tins before I leave for my mission, or just send a runner," Luke asked. _Damn it, I'm a cop. What am I thinking? I know what this shit does to me. I know I'm addicted._ But even with these thoughts cascading through his mind, Luke found himself wanting Wilson to hurry.

" _I'll send two cases by runner. Should be there in a minute. Now if that's all you wanted, I'm gonna get back to work."_ The screen cut off.

 _The mission changed, so I have to. That's just the way it is. Cerberus offered the drugs freely. It does make me strong…biotically. It'll be really handy in a fight. Besides, coming down off of it now will put Claire in danger._ The argument continued to build until he had essentially talked himself into taking the serum by the time the runner had arrived.

000

Joker sat at the desk shuffling through some data on his interface. It was odd to see him doing something other than flying. Other than the two or three times they were on shore leave, Luke had hardly seen joker out of the pilot seat.

"Geez, tell me they don't have you flying a desk," Luke said leaning against the door frame.

"Who the…wait- Shepard? Luke Shepard? Hell man, it's good to see ya!" Joker shouted nearly leaping from his desk chair. Luke smiled and embraced his friend.

"You look good…you know, aside from the not having a ship surrounding you," Luke stated. Joker's expression fell.

"Yeah, well, apparently Alliance brass has a stick so far up their ass it can rival Garrus," Joker responded turning back to his desk and taking his chair again.

"Glad to see the grounding hasn't dampened your sense of humor," Luke stated sitting down on the corner of the desk. He opened his omni-tool and punched in a few codes very quickly. It was a modified program that Sigma had taught him how to use that emitted a field of disruption so that no recording or listening device could hear a conversation. Very useful in a situation like this.

"So, what've you been up to? No one from the old days has seen you in a while. Mallory thought you might have crawled into a hole with a bottle and died," Joker said dismissing one of the forms on his interface.

"Mal thought that, huh? Well, she's half right; the bottle part anyway. I'm actually here on business. I've got a few stops to make but I made sure that you were the first." Joker looked up at Luke curiously.

"What? Am I your first stop on some comeback tour or something 'cause I don't play anything except air guitar," Joker responded. Luke could tell he was intrigued. Anything to get out of the 10 by 10 room the Alliance had stuck him in. Luke smirked and leaned forward.

"You're my first stop on Claire's comeback tour," Luke whispered. Joker stared at him for a second, then busted out laughing.

"Damn, you really had me going there. The commander's gone. We were both there man." Joker turned back to his interface.

"I stole her body and took it to some people I knew. They found a wait to bring her back. It took since about two months after the crash to find her, but she's been on an operating table ever since," Luke said standing and checking his omni-tool. His program would start becoming suspicious in the next minute or so. He needed to speed things along.

"So you pulled a Frankenstein with your sister? I'm not sure you get how psycho that sounds." Luke smiled and punched a few buttons on his omni-tool. A small five second vid appeared on Joker's interface. The former pilot leaned forward as a scarred and still healing Claire gasped and reached up. A white armored hand reached out and caught it. Luke paused it right after his hand came into view and looked over at Joker.

"That was less than a week ago. She's alive and We're going to need the best damned pilot there is," Luke said offering Joker a hand.

"You mean, You're gonna let me fly?" Joker asked.

"Guess I should have opened with that, huh?" Luke said as Joker took his hand.

"Yeah, that would have made this really short. Where do I sign?" Joker responded. Luke held up a finger to pause Joker's excitement.

"Before you do, I need to tell you who I'm working for. Please trust me. We're going to find out what's happening to the colonies that are disappearing in the Terminus. The problem is…" Luke tried to figure out how to tell Joker the truth without scaring him off.

"Just tell me," Joker said tossing his hands up before crossing his arms.

"Cerberus. I'm working for Cerberus."

There was a long silence as Joker stared at his old friend. Luke could feel the lump forming in his throat. If Joker called the authorities, Luke would have to fight his way out of an Alliance facility and could hurt people. He hoped that would not be the case.

"But they'll let me fly?" Joker asked softly.

"Hell yeah."


	11. Chapter 11

**This is a long one. I just got to writing and did not find a good break point...so you get most of the opening of ME2 all rolled into one. I hope you guys like what I did with the characters and there is plenty more to come. Please let me know if you have suggestions, comments, or something you really liked so far. I love getting to hear from my readers. It really makes my day. Read, review, and enjoy!**

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A faint rumble like distant thunder caused a tingling sensation in her arms and legs. She remembered seeing a ceiling above her the last time she had opened her eyes, but before that…a leak in her hardsuit? Floating weightlessly away while Luke called her name? An explosion? Why was it so hard to remember?

The rumble came again, but this time she couldn't only hear it. She felt it in her bones. She knew this feeling all too well. Explosions. Another eruption jolted her and pain shot through her jaw and neck.

"Wake up Commander!" a woman's voice called over the intercom. She knew that voice. She remembered it from the last time she opened her eyes. Miranda, that was the name. Another explosion rocked her so hard that her eyes sprung open like she was waking up from a horrible nightmare, though this time she was waking up into one. The florescent lights above her hurt her eyes as she blinked trying to get her eyes to adjust.

" _Shepard, can you hear me? Get out of that bed now! This facility is under attack._ " That voice and the accent. Yeah, definitely the same woman as before. Claire started to move her mouth but found that her jaw felt sore, like she had just gone twenty rounds in hand-to-hand training with Mallory.

" _Your scars aren't healed but I need you to get out of bed and moving. This facility is under attack_ ," the voice repeated. Claire sat up only to see tracer rounds flying in every direction outside the area that contained her. Smoke clouded the ouside of the windows but Claire could see and hear the fierce battle raging outside. Who knows how many people were losing their lives in that fire fight.

Claire turned her legs off the side of the table. Looking down, she found herself in a hospital gown and nothing else. _Well, this is a new one._

" _There's a pistol and armor in the locker on the far wall. There should be a uniform there too to go under the armor_ ," Miranda stated. Claire shook her head and jogged over to the lockers. Popping one open, she found a white and black uniform with her name stitched into the fabric along with a Predator M-3 and a shiny new set of N7 Specialized Commando Mark 5.2 Armor. As she slipped on the uniform and zipped it up, she found herself feeling odd. It wasn't that she felt sick or tired, but more of an abnormal feeling. The hairs on her arms and neck were standing straight up and a slight tingling sensation danced across her skin from head to toe. Shaking her head, She clamped and connected the armor on and the feeling dissipated. She collected the pistol and checked it. Empty… of course it is.

"No clip," Claire announced waving the pistol at a camera.

" _You'll have to find ammo as you go. I had to seal the door to keep anyone from getting to you. Take cover, I'm overloading the lock. There will be a small explosion,"_ Miranda informed her. Claire ducked behind a small fiberglass frame that surrounded some piping that ran above floor level a few feet out from the wall.

Small explosion was definitely a bit of an understatement, but the door was "open." More like blown off its hinges, but she was moving forward.

As she emerged from the lab, a mech opened fire on her from the stairs. Diving behind a crate, Claire cursed under her breath. She glanced around trying to find anything that could give her an offensive advantage but the mech fired at her every time she reached for anything. She did finally get a hold of a guard's body and pulled him to her as the mech punched additional holes in the man's corpse. Grabbing a thermal clip from his ammo belt, Claire jammed it into place and leapt up firing a single round through the mech's facial plate blowing its head off. Claire smirked as the body crumpled into a heap of scrap metal.

" _I'm patching into your radio. The door up the stairs is the best way. Once inside, take cover. There's a group of mechs converging on your position. I'll jam the door behind you._ " Though Claire had no idea who this woman was for sure, she was deeply grateful for the help.

"Got it. Oh and on that note, what's going on here?" Claire asked kneeling down behind some lab equipment. The door hissed shut and the control interface glitched and turned red before vanishing.

" _Someone hacked security. I think their trying to kill you. Most of the mechs are headed in your direction. I think I can guide you around the majority,"_ Miranda stated through Claire's ear piece.

"Not just that," Claire snapped. "I mean where am I? Where's Luke? I remember he was here with me. Where is he?"

" _He's not here. I'm sorry,_ " Miranda responded.

"Fine, then what's-" Her sentence was cut short by the door on the far side of the room exploding and six mechs advancing into the lab. This was one hell of a wake up call.

000

Luke's shuttle swooped in to the landing bay. The pilot turned to look back at Luke as he pat the man on the shoulder.

"Hold here and seal the hatch. The only people aloud to have this shuttle without me are my sister, Operative Lawson, and Beta. Get me?" Luke ordered as he grabbed a Paladin pistol from the small armory and a Vindicator rifle. He slipped an Avenger on the other position just to bring a little more fire power to the fight.

"Miranda, this is Alpha. I'm on station at evac bay 1 with a shuttle. What's your status?" Luke shouted into the radio as he locked his helmet into place. The door opened and Luke stepped out into the bay. Empty wouldn't have described it, but graveyard, that came pretty close. Pilot bodies along with several mechs were spread out all over the floor.

" _I…a…clear signal…interference,"_ Miranda responded.

"If you can hear me, get to the evac area. I'm going to head in and try to get to Claire," Luke shouted into the radio. Of course, having a reunion with his sister in a combat situation was not what he had in mind.

Kneeling beside one of the mechs, he examined it and tried to reactivate some of the subroutines without reactivating the main cpu. Scanning the feeds, Luke hoped he would not find the virus the Pack had tracked over a year before. No virus, but the operating system showed signs of hacking. Pretty obvious signs too. A brute force approach in the main hub.

Luke pulled the butt of his rifle into his shoulder and started moving forward. Keeping low may not have been the fastest way to move through the facility, but with so much fighting going on, he needed to be careful and not get caught up in a fight. Claire was all that mattered. Everyone else, even Miranda and Jacob were expendable.

As he crept through the facility, Luke found himself at Server Room B. The door was open and there she was. Claire stood with Wilson and Jacob talking about something that Luke could not quite make out. He smiled under his helmet seeing the N7 on her chest as she turned around.

"I don't care what you say. I'll never work for terrorists," Claire snapped.

 _Well, she must know that this is a Cerberus facility now. Does she remember seeing me here?_ Luke set the speaker in his helmet to distort his voice. Though he wanted to run up and hug his sister, he did not want her to know exactly who he was until they were out of danger.

"Tell that to the boss when you meet him," Jacob responded. "Speaking of which, here's my boss." Jacob motioned to Luke. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Luke stood up straight and entered the room.

"Commander Shepard, it's good to see you up and moving. Glad to see your cat nap hasn't dampened your skills," Luke stated. The look of surprise on Jacob's face nearly made Luke laugh. He had obviously not been expecting the voice distortion.

"Who are you?"

"For now, you can call me Alpha," Luke responded. His eyes fell on Wilson and his blood soaked leg. "You alright, Wilson?"

"I've definitely had better days," the doctor snarled.

"We found him in the server room wounded. He should be okay until we can get him to a medical bay," Claire added on. "But I'm still not sure if I can trust you, any of you."

Luke nodded. She didn't know who he was except for the fact that he was Cerberus. "I'll give name, rank, and serial number once we get to my shuttle. I've already cleared the way back," Luke stated.

"Fine Alpha. Lead the way," Claire stated making sure to emphasize the use of my code name, though she was obviously still put out from learning where she was. Now was definitely not the time to reveal who he was. She'd probably shoot him just on principal.

"I need to check a few systems before I leave. Beta, the shuttle is in evac bay 1. Get there fast. If I'm not there in twenty minutes, leave," Luke ordered. Claire looked over at Jacob then back to Luke. _Please don't figure out who I am yet. We don't have time to argue about bad judgment._

"Roger that," Jacob responded. Luke smiled still amused by the look of utter confusion on his face.

"Wait, my brother.I thought I saw him when I woke up the first time. When I saw you," Claire said turning back to look at Wilson. "Miranda said he wasn't here, so what happened to him? If you're Jacob's boss, then you should be able to tell me, right?" Claire snapped. Luke sighed and wet his lips.

"You will see your brother very soon. I guarantee it," Luke answered. He saw Jacob smile at the comment before he started forward.

Without waiting for a response, Luke pushed past the trio and headed straight for the servers. He needed to know who had reprogrammed the mechs. It had to be someone from the project with tech experience. Though those preconceptions wer immediately shattered when he approached the console. Still plugged into the OSD port was a small stick drive. Scanning through the coding, Luke realized that this tech was not just well developed; it was a damned work of art. All a person would have to do to activate the hack was plug the drive in. This could not have been just anyone. This was a planned attack, timed and well thought out. Hell, the person that delivered the drive was probably dead or…

"Miranda, can you read me?" Luke asked isolating his radio. He quickly pulled up his snooper programs for the Lazarus project and searched the files.

" _I hear you. I'm at the evac site, where are you?_ "

"Server room B. I know who betrayed us, and he's on his way to you," Luke stated pulling the drive and stashing it in his pocket.

" _Who was it?_ "

"Wilson. He installed the program that hacked the mechs. Judging from the program's coding, I'd wager a guess that the Shadow Broker is behind it," Luke responded taking off at a dead sprint through the halls.

" _I'll handle it,_ " Miranda stated coldly.

"Negative, I'll take care of it. I want more intel on this, then you can do what you want," Luke ordered.

As he approached the door, he could see Wilson starting to punch in the code to open it. Luke set his jaw and reached out biotically. The blue energy wrapped around Wilson as the door opened and jerked him backward into the wall with a loud thud.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob exclaimed. Luke ignored him and pulled his pistol.

"Did you think I wouldn't find your toy?" Luke snarled grabbing a fist full of Wilson's uniform as the biotic energy released him. Luke jammed the pistol up under Wilson's jaw. "What does you loyalty cost huh?"

"What're you talking about?" Claire asked. Luke spotted her in his periphery wither gun drawn and aimed at him.

"This traitor reprogrammed the mechs. Considering that he's been bought by the Shadow Broker, I'm not surprised," Luke said pressing his fist into Wilson's collar bone. "The tech is way too advanced for you. Who gave you it? I want a name."

Wilson held his tongue. He must have thought that Luke would keep him alive if he stayed quiet. Oh, how wrong he was. Luke need to make sure that Wilson knew that he was going to die for what he did, though the manner of his death could be a powerful motivator.

"Name in 3 seconds, or I'll let Miranda deal with you as she sees fit. Just remember how much she invested in this project that you just tried to destroy. I'm sure she has ten different styles of torture in mind for you. If you cooperate, I'll make sure to make it quick," Luke stated. Wilson's eyes darted form Luke to Miranda then back to Luke.

"I not telling you anything," Wilson growled. Luke sighed and shook his head.

"Let me know what hell looks like when I get there," Luke responded turning and nodding to Miranda. The woman pulled her pistol and fired a single round into his chest. Luke released his hold on Wilson's clothes and allowed the corpse to crumple to the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Claire snarled stomping up to Luke. Luke sighed and looked down at the body.

"I was doing my job. Keep Commander Claire Shepard safe. Those are my priority orders from the Illusive Man," Luke responded holstering his weapon.

"We can talk about all this on the way to the Stage," Miranda stated hurriedly. She was right. Mechs would be closing in on anyone that was still alive, including their little quartet of fighters.

"What do I care if the Illusive Man doesn't get what he wants? And what the hell is the Stage?" Claire asked as Luke sealed and jammed the door behind them.

"You should care. There are a lot of things that you missed while you were out. As far as the Stage goes, it's our support facility for the mission we hope you'll accept. There's a true and present threat against the galaxy," Miranda chipped in.

"We all believe that the reapers are real and they are headed our way, but there's something that's going after humans, and only humans right now. We're not sure if it's related to the reapers but five colonies have already vanished without a trace. The Illusive Man can tell you everything." Luke looked over at Miranda and Jacob as he wiped dust and ash from their armor and offered his hand to show Claire the way to the shuttle.

Without looking at him, Claire brushed past her brother and made her way to the shuttle as Miranda, Jacob, and Luke all fell in line. Luke watched his sister move. She didn't look very different at all, although she was still sore judging from how she moved. Her hair had gotten a lot longer and bounced in its ponytail as she walked. But the lights on the back of her armor burned like a bonefire signaling that her biotic power was ready to be released. She might not even have realized that she had biotic abilities now. He might have to take the time to train her on how to use her new skills.

Climbing into the shuttle, Luke felt Claire's eyes fixed on him. Between Miranda's visible thoughts resentment about how he had left her the last time they spoke and Claire glaring daggers at him for his treatment of Wilson, Luke felt like an abused ping pong ball getting slapped back and forth.

"So, name, rank, and serial number right?" Claire asked leaning forward and interlacing her fingers. Luke sighed and he felt his sister's eyes boar into him.

"Serial number is 27-65-94-018. Rank: Operative Team Leader. Name…that's difficult to explain, so I need you to promise to not over react." Luke's comment caused Claire's eyebrow to raise. Luke unlatched his helmet and slowly removed it. His hair fell down onto his forehead as Luke collapsed the helmet and stuck the piece to his belt.

"Luke?" Claire managed to say. The shock must have thrown her for a loop, seeing her brother again. "What…what the hell are you doing with Cerberus?"

And the good feeling was gone. Luke started to tell her about everything that happened while she was sleeping but there was simply too much. The Normandy blowing up, the funeral, Cerberus' approach to him, his and Liara's assault on the Broker base, where could he start?

"The Alliance gave up on you, sis. They classified you as killed in action," Luke started as the shuttle lifted off and shot into the vast nothing of space jumping to FTL speeds.

"Wait, killed? But I'm alive," Claire started.

"Miranda, do you want to take this one?" Luke said standing and starting to strip the armor so he could clean and calibrate it.

"The Lazarus Project, I know Luke told you about the experiments done to him when he was a teenager. The work continued and the scientists managed to synthesize a serum that restores dead cells and reanimates nerves. On top of that, new cybernetic implants helped rebuild the muscles and bones. All in all, the Lazarus Project's goal was to rebuild you and bring you back to life. So far, it appears to be a success," Miranda explained. Luke removed the last piece of his armor revealing the Cerberus field uniform. Luke could feel her eyes wanting to tear the Cerberus symbol off his shoulder.

"So far?" Claire asked.

"There are some tests we need to run to test your memory and personality to ensure that we restored you," Miranda explained.

"If they changed anything about your morals, personality, or memories, they failed," Luke stated taking a seat next to his sister.

"Let's start with personal history," Miranda said looking over at Jacob.

"Come on, Miranda, more tests," Jacob responded.

"The sooner we start the sooner we can be done," Miranda snapped back. Luke shook his head and leaned back crossing his arms.

"Alright, records show you grew up on Mindoir until you were sixteen when slavers attacked," Jacob began. Luke lowered his eyes and tried not to listen to recounting of their childhood. He did not want to think about those memories again. He had a hard enough time watching the machines cut, screw, and stitch his sister back together. Luke closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again.

"You won a medal fighting batarian pirates in the Skyllian Blitz. Do you remember that?"

Jacob looked up from his omni-tool and glanced over at Luke. Rolling his neck form side to side, Luke looked over at his sister waiting for her response.

"There were a lot of people depending on me holding that position. I couldn't let them down," Claire responded.

"That's her. Classic Claire response," Luke responded with a smile. Claire glanced over at Luke. He was not sure but he thought he saw a smile pull at the corners of her mouth.

"Satisfied Miranda?" Jacob asked.

"Almost. Let's try something more recent. Virmire where you destroyed Saren's research facility. You had to leave someone behind to die in the blast," Miranda stated. Luke's heart dropped into his feet. They had to bring this up… He started wondering if this wasn't a test of his sanity rather than Claire's memory.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was reported killed in action. It was your call. Why did you leave her behind?" Jacob asked. Luke felt tears swelling in his eyes. Why did they have to ask about that? Anything but Virmire.

"I left a good friend to die that day. I wish I could have saved her. That decision is one of the toughest I've ever had to make… I'm sorry Luke," Claire said placing her head in her hands.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Luke said quickly as he wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "Ash…she'd…She'd tell both of us that she didn't regret a thing. She'd do it again if it meant stopping Saren and the reapers."

Claire nodded and this time showed a truly genuine smile. Luke had missed that. That smile that made him think that everything was going to be okay.

"We weren't judging. Everyone at Cerberus knows that base had to be taken out," Jacob stated.

"Shepard, think back to the Citadel, after you saved the council and killed Saren. What happened next?" Miranda asked. Luke's eyes hardened. She did not even acknowledge that Claire and he were hurting from the last question. She really was cold and uncaring, completely focused on the mission and task at hand.

"Luke killed Saren, but after Soveriegn was destroyed, humanity was offered a place on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position." Claire's attention had split between the interview and Luke. She faced him but was obviously still listening to the questions.

"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councilor Anderson, though I'm told he preferred life in the military." Miranda considered some of the notes on her omni-tool for a moment before looking back up. "Your memory seems solid. There really are more tests we should run-"

"Come on Miranda. More tests. The memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally," Jacob chimed in. Luke appreciated Jacob sticking up for his sister and hoped Miranda would leave it at that. Any more questions digging into their past and Luke might start answering the questions instead.

"I guess you're right. Let's hope the Illusive Man accepts out little field test as good enough," Miranda stated sitting back in her chair. Luke turned and looked out the window as the shuttle dropped out of FTL.

"Head for hanger 14. I need to check in with my team," Luke said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yes sir," the pilot responded.

"Team?" Claire asked.

"I'll explain after you meet the Illusive Man. I have a bad feeling that we are going to be headed out very soon," Luke said leaning back and relaxing as much as he could.

"The way you've been working, I'm surprised you haven't fallen over," Jacob retorted.

"It's all about pacing my friend," Luke stated as the shuttle landed. "Not that I really ever pace myself. I just run on adrenaline and caffeine." Luke heard a small laugh escape Claire.

"And you always said you were not a marine."

Luke smirked as the door opened. He still wasn't a marine, not in his mind. But he was not exactly a cop anymore either. He was someone else…something else.


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's the next chapter. It is going to be a bit before I can get the next one up because of work and life in general. I am having so much fun writing this fic. Thanks to everyone that reviewed and sent me PMs let me know what you think of the story. It always makes my day to hear from you guys. As always, please read and review.**

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Luke waited outside the comm room as Claire had her first run in with the Illusive Man. How he wished he was a fly on the wall in that room. Claire had always been outspoken about her distaste for Cerberus and its terrorist actions. Meeting the leader of that organization would not be fun for her. Hell, he worked for the guy and he did not like having to talk to him.

"We just got our mission briefing," Miranda said shortly knocking him out of his thoughts. Luke accepted the OSD and plugged it into his omni-tool. The screen appeared with the briefing and Luke skimmed through it.

"Freedom's Progress just went dark? Same MO?" Luke asked scrolling down the page.

"Very same," Miranda answered as she headed over to a console. Luke looked up from the briefing. That was different. Usually Miranda would go into detail of what all they would have to do and bring to make sure the operation went off without a hitch. Either that or she would be correcting Luke on his plan.

"Okay, what the hell is up with you? First you wanted to talk, now you don't want to even be in the same room," Luke snapped as he closed his onmi-tool and followed her over to the console.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about Ashley Williams? I could tell you two had had something when we asked the commander about it," Miranda asked crossing her arms. Luke could not believe she was bringing this up.

"It wasn't any of your business then, just like it's not now," Luke growled.

"I thought we had something between us. I thought you cared enough to share something like that," Miranda said slamming her hand down on the desk.

"We went on a few dates and didn't deny rumors around the bases. You were never in my plan for the long term. I'm sorry but that's the way it is," Luke snarled back. He could see the shock, or was it pain, behind Miranda's eyes, even though she kept her cold, all business expression on.

"Understood."

Luke shook his head and headed over to a small row of seats where he could read in peace. Freedom's Progress wasn't that far away, maybe 12 hours by shuttle. Of course if the new ship were ready, they could have gotten there in 4 hours, but the crew was still arriving and the final checks were still underway. If they wanted to get to the colony before Alliance investigators, they would have to move soon. The other colonies had been ghost towns, some even had stove tops still on when the first wave of scavengers, investigators, or pirates landed. Cerberus had never been the first ones on the ground. Luke had suggested that they send an undercover agent to several different colonies to try and spread their net a little wider, but Freedom's progress had fallen through the cracks. Fehl Prime, Horizon, Tip Tree, and a few others had Cerberus agents blending into the population and even moving extra defense systems into place.

Luke sighed as he saw Claire come out of the comm room looking like she had just talk to Udina and the Council for a few hours. Luke honestly thought no one could get under her skin the way they did. This was definitely the same old Claire.

She made her way over to Miranda. Luke strained to hear what was being said but was only able to make out aver few words or so. Miranda was saying something about believing in Cerberus and that Claire might be a liability. Luke pretended to be entranced by the briefing as Claire and Miranda butted heads.

"That's something you don't see every day," Jacob said sitting down next to Luke.

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"Miranda getting defensive. I think she's threatened by the commander," Jacob stated.

"Probably. Most people feel a little threatened or at least intimidated by Claire. I mean, hell, she's the first human spectre, Alliance war hero, Savior of the Citadel, and if she bares any of the family resemblance, not too hard on the eyes. I'd be surprised if Miranda didn't feel at least a little threatened," Luke said closing his omni-tool.

"Always the humble one," Jacob said patting Luke on the shoulder. "You know, it's kind of nice getting to just hang with you. Since the recovery operation, I think you and I have been mostly business."

"Yeah, I guess we have. Which reminds me, we need to send out orders for the Wolf Pack to report to the ship. I figure they can provide security and back up just in case we need some extra guns," Luke said as he kept his eyes on the two women on the far side of the room.

"I forward the orders. Do you really think the commander will approve of you bringing your old team with you?" Jacob asked.

"They are just there as extra security and I trust them. I think Claire will be okay with that," Luke stated. "Speaking of which."

Claire strolled across the room like she owned the place and plopped down in the seat next to Luke. She appeared to just be tired but part of Luke was telling him that she just didn't want to deal with Cerberus or their mission at the moment.

"You have some explaining to do," Claire stated resting her elbow on his shoulder.

"I guess I do… Where do you want me to start?" Luke asked as Jacob got up. The operative headed straight for the armory, but Luke assumed it was because he did not want to intrude on the sibling reunion.

"How about why you're with Cerberus, seems like a decent place to start," Claire stated resting her elbows on her knees.

"They made me a deal," Luke started. "A couple weeks or so after your funeral, our mutual friend over there approached me." Luke nodded over toward Miranda as Claire followed his gaze.

"What kind of deal?" Claire asked.

"I would help them recover your body and they would bring you back. Not just your body, but you. Same memory, same morals, same motivations, the whole sha-bang," Luke said as he tapped the ends of his fingers together. God only knew what Claire was thinking. He must have sounded like a crazy person. It should not have been possible. Hell, it almost wasn't.

"How? How could anyone be brought back from the dead?" Claire exclaimed turning to face Luke straight on.

"The Lazarus Project. They continued the work even after we destroyed the cash of J-11 serum we found. They ended up with a serum that was tailored to your DNA only. The Lazarus Project became focused only on bringing you back," Luke explained.

"Why not just turn to you? You're a good leader," Claire stated. The confidence she had in him was comforting, though made his stomach turn. True he had led a small team, but most of the missions were just rescue ops or missions ordered by the Illusive Man. He could never lead a large mission and make tough calls like Claire could. Claire was a different form a leader. When they made her, the trainers definitely broke the mold.

"I have my team, but no one can lead the way you do. You don't just lead by example, you inspire. Hell, everyone from the old crew followed you through a suicide mission," Luke paused, "and I still would. You're a hero to the entire galaxy. There isn't a soldier out there that doesn't idolize you, fear you, or respect you."

"But you have a team. You are obviously good enough for that," Claire said smiling. "What kind of operations do you run?"

"Missions that would support the operations of this facility in trying to recover the lost colonists. We're called the Wolf Pack," Luke said. He smirked as his eyes fell to his chest plate that hid the wolf tattoo beneath.

"Funny, like your old hoodie. 'Shepard among wolves' right?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, I think that's where they got the idea," Luke said looking over at Miranda. _Another tactic she used to get what Cerberus wanted, no doubt_.

"What about the old team? I know it's been two years, but have you seen anyone else," Claire asked as her eyes drifted to the floor.

"Not until recently. Talked to a few old friends, but I haven't even seen most of the rest. Last person I saw was Kaidan, but that was just in passing," Luke stated. He could tell that his statement had sparked her curiosity.

"Kaidan? What about Mal? I can't imagine them actually approving of your new friends," Claire said nodding toward the armory and Jacob.

"They probably wouldn't. I doubt they even knew it was me. No one besides the Illusive Man, Miranda, and my team know who I really am. To everyone else, even the shuttle pilots, I'm Alpha of the Wolf Pack," Luke said running his fingers though his hair.

"I can't say I'm crazy about the new look. You kind of remind me of some of those failure boy band guys from the 20th century," Claire said snickering. Luke smiled and stroked the short chin scruff.

"Two years is a long time there sis. I guess I can start calling you my little sister," Luke said gently elbowing her.

"Our birthday hasn't changed and maturity wise, I'm still so much older," Claire said giving him a shove back.

"You know, I thought you were going to shoot me for joining Cerberus," Luke said softly.

"I'm still considering it, but for now, let's see if we can find those missing colonists," Claire said putting her arm around him.

"Sounds like a plan," Luke stated. "By the way, I'm really happy to have you back."

Claire smiled. Luke wondered how she was taking everything for real. The last thing she would have known was floating away from the Normandy as it exploded. The next thing she knew she was waking up in a Cerberus facility two years later with her brother a part of that hated organization and none of her other friends around. She always put on a strong face for everyone else to keep up morale, but this time, Luke was afraid for her. I took him nearly15 years to truly come to grips with everything that had happened to him, could Claire be that good at blocking out the trauma of dying and being brought back?

"Come on. Let's get to the colony and see what's what," Claire stated adjusting her shoulder plate. Luke nodded and followed his sister to the armory.

000

Claire looked over the weapons. If she could say one nice thing about Cerberus, they had great equipment. Of course there was the standard M-8 Avenger and M-15 Vindicator, but they had a few weapons that she had never seen before.

"Pick your poison, Commander…or should I be calling you Captain?" Jacob asked. Claire faced the soldier and raised an eyebrow.

"Captain? What are you talking about?" Claire asked as she picked up an M-77 Paladin to test the weight. It reminded her of the M-6 Carnifex but smaller and lighter, though if the set up was to be believed, it was considered the top of the line in pistols.

"Oh, no one's told you have they…" Jacob said slowly looking over at Luke. Shaking his head, Luke collected a odd looking rifle labeled as the M-96 Mattock as well as a Paladin to match the one she had picked up.

"Told me what?" Claire asked setting the pistol down and crossing her arms. She looked directly at Luke. He might be Cerberus now, but he was still her brother. He might have miss led her before a few times, but he never lied to her.

"You were promoted posthumously to Captain. Congratulations," Luke said sending the article that announced it over to her omni-tool. Claire opened it and found that it was an article covering her funeral.

As Claire read through it quickly she found quotes from Anderson, Hackett, Mallory, Joker, and several other members of the crew. All said that she would be missed and she was the greatest commander and friend that they ever had. All of it made her smile, but she quickly realized that there was one person lacking.

"Luke, why isn't there any mention of you in here?" Claire asked closing the article and grabbing a Mantis sniper rifle from the table. Of all the weapons presented, the Mantis was a rifle she knew how to use. It obviously had some work done on it to increase penetration and accuracy but it was still the same rifle.

"I wasn't exactly in a presentable state at your funeral," Luke stated. Claire watched as her brother rubbed the back of his neck.

"Drunk?" Claire asked. She really didn't have to. If she had just seen him or Mallory die, she would have been drinking too.

"Yeah, Mal wasn't exactly happy with my appearance, to say the least."

 _Oh crap, they couldn't even get along at my funeral._ Claire smiled. It might have been two years but not much seemed to have changed in the details. Mal and Luke were still at each other's throats, Luke was willing to do anything to keep his sisters safe, and Mal was still the loyal Alliance soldier.

"Shuttle's prepped Shepard. The Illusive Man put you in command of this mission. What are your orders?" Miranda asked as she collected a Tempest SMG and a Predator pistol; pretty bland and weak choices considering her apparent skill in battle, but to each their own.

"Are you two going to be okay taking orders from me?" Claire asked looking back and forth between Jacob and Miranda.

"We didn't bring you back to second guess your command Shepard," Miranda stated. Claire nodded and looked over to Jacob.

"I've been taking one Shepard's orders for two years. I'm good with it," Jacob added.

Claire's eyes fell on Luke as he smirked and slipped a few extra thermal clips onto his pockets and combat pouches. "Hell Claire, you know I'm in."

Claire smiled, but not a real smile. She had to admit, she was not feeling ready to jump back into the fray yet. There were little bits of her death that started coming back to her ever since she woke up. The feel of an icy chill as the warm air in her hard suit was sucked out. Hearing the crackle of her radio in her ear as Luke called her name, assuring her that he would save her. The smile that crossed her face at that thought as she waved everyone toward the shuttle was a true one. Luke kept his promise, even if he did make a deal with the Devil's Dog to do it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this chapter took me so long. Crazy work weeks and lost of work to do. Anyway, this is the next chapter. We are dipping our toes and heels in the the main story for ME2. I hope you guys like the chapter. Please read and review, it really brightens my day when I get a new follower and makes my day awesome when I get a review. But above all else, please enjoy!**

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Those twelve hours passed relatively fast while Luke slept. He had gotten use to catching his shut-eye-time in a shuttle between missions. It had gotten to the point where the hum of engines and the gentle vibration of the hull were just as relaxing to him as any bed.

Though despite his relaxing setting, Luke found his mind still wondering into the dark places of his memory that he had hoped to never see again. It was true he had come to grips with what had happened to him in the past, but that did not mean that he had gotten over the trauma and fear those events had brought on.

The fires and bullets of the Mindoir raid coupled with the fires and bullets of Virmire tore at him, all around him. Then the needles and scalpels of the Lazarus team. God, the blood there was so much of it. Saleon, Thanoptis, Saren, and so many others all donating their life to the down pour that covered him in. He could feel the world shaking around him and pressure on his arm.

Luke woke to his shoulder being gently shaken. As he opened his eyes, Luke saw his sister standing over him. He had to blink a few times before he realized he wasn't dreaming. She was back with him. They were only dreams. Choices he had made in the past that could not touch him as long as Claire was there.

"We're about to enter the atmosphere. You probably want to get ready," Claire said. She looked tired. Had she been able to get any sleep at all? Maybe this was too quick to have her out in the field. She just woke up from a dirt nap not that long ago.

"Okay," Luke grumbled as he collected his weapons from the locker and slipped on his helmet.

"Still hiding your face?" Claire asked as she slipped on her own. The N7 helmet did not have a breathing apparatus revealing most of her face while Luke's wolf helmet hide his entire face, even his eyes, behind a mirrored visor.

"Can't have everyone knowing exactly who I am. I wasn't even supposed to tell my team, but I kind of bent that rule," Luke stated checking his sites on his rifle before stowing it on his back. For the most part, he wanted to use his pistol and biotics if they ran into trouble. Over the past year, he had become quite adept with the skills of manipulating dark matter.

" _Drop in thirty seconds. I'll return to orbit and wait for your call,"_ the pilot stated.

"Right, let's move. First priority is to search for survivors, second to investigate. Luke, if you see anything, call it out. We don't have your eyes," Claire ordered.

"Got it. On your six, sis," Luke stated flipping off the safety.

"I know the other colonies were empty, but assume hostiles until the area is cleared," Claire ordered to the others. Jacob and Miranda nodded their acknowledgement as the shuttle landed and the door opened.

000

Claire watched Luke, Jacob, and Miranda as they moved through the prefabs. Plates of food still sat on the tables, beds were unmade, and even a faucet still running. The first thought how it reminded her of the investigation holos of Mindoir, yet there was nothing to suggest foul play.

"Claire, this doesn't look good," Luke said as he opened his omni-tool. Claire turned to see him kneeling in the center of the room.

"What'd you find?"

"There are traces of a toxin on the floors and walls. I'm trying to get a sample but they're so little of it, I can't get a good reading. We're going to need to get as much of it as possible for the lab to analyze," Luke stated.

"Alright, keep an eye out for any you can salvage. Can you tell anything about the toxin?" Claire asked.

"It's synthetic and organic. Bioengineering, definitely, but I've never seen anything like it before, not even with the Lazarus Project," Miranda stated looking over Luke's shoulder.

"Which means that whoever is behind this has technology that surpasses the latest, cutting-edge tech in Citadel space," Luke stated and looked over at Claire. She knew the same thought ripped through his head as hers. _Reapers_.

"If the Reapers are behind this, we need proof. There has to be some kind of security footage, right?" Claire asked.

"At the other colonies, the footage was corrupted beyond all repair, but maybe we could salvage something here since we're first on the scene," Jacob stated.

Claire nodded and waved everyone one through the door way to the next prefab. But as they headed out onto the walkway, bullets immediately rained down on them. Jacob managed to throw up a barrier between their assailants and the team before anyone was injured or took any direct hits.

"What the hell!? What's going on? All the other colonies didn't have any kind of security active," Luke shouted pulling his pistol and taking cover behind a guard rail.

"These things shouldn't be hostile. They should have recognized us as human," Miranda added firing a burst from her SMG. The bullets ripped the head off one of the mechs. A pair of others fired on her and forced her to duck back down behind cover.

Claire wet her lips and took a slow breath through her nose. Standing and leveling her rifle, she fired two short bursts that ripped through the mechs' central drive systems and they erupted in a display of fire and scrap metal. As the fire twisted upward, Claire was suddenly on the Normandy watching as beam from the attacking ship ripped through the hull sprouting fire from every surface it touched. She could feel her suit leaking, hear the air rushing out of the cracked casing as she started to reach for her helmet to try and plug the hole, but suddenly she was ripped off her feet.

"Claire, get your head in the game. Second mech patrol units coming in at out two o'clock, just up those stairs," Luke reported hurling a biotic warp at the oncoming attackers and fired several rounds from his Paladin.

Claire shook her head and fired up at the mechs. What was going on with her? What did she just see?

Luke charged forward wrapping himself in glowing biotic energy as he slammed into…no, not into… through a pair of mechs. The force of his biotic charge actually split them into several separate pieces, scattering them across the ground.

"Nice Alpha!" Jacob shouted standing and jogging up the stairs.

Claire looked between the two men. Luke had grown in his biotic strength, a charge like that would normally have left him winded at the very least, but this time he looked relatively unfazed. She had to keep telling herself that she had been gone for two years. A lot changed. Her brother working for Cerberus, the whole team gone and moved on with their lives, and Anderson was…(she could barely even think the word) a politician. That had to be killing him especially if that ass Udina was still poking about the embassy.

"This is nothing compared to that factory on Hahne-Kedar," Luke said loading a fresh thermal clip into his pistol.

"What factory?" Claire asked as the team formed up and moved through the next prefab.

"A mech production facility. A virus had gotten onto their server and infected ever mech that came off the line. Killed over fifty people before the Pack shut it down," Luke explained as he scanned the walls and floor for more samples.

"Pretty bad huh?" Claire asked opening the door leading out into a small courtyard.

"It took the whole Pack to fight through and hold the control room long enough for our tech expert to overload the system and destroy the infected mechs," Luke stated moving forward to secure the courtyard.

"He's being modest, Captain. If it had not been for him, we wouldn't have made it out in time," Jacob stated. Claire smiled. Luke may have been with Cerberus but his skills had definitely improved. He could probably give Alenko a run for his money in biotic strength.

"Looks like being a hero runs in the Shepard blood," Miranda added.

Claire saw the smile on Luke's face vanish as he knelt next to some equipment that seemed to have been dropped. It was the first obvious sign of any kind of foul play. Luke could not seem to meet anyone's eyes as everyone watched him work.

"Always dodging the praise," Claire said.

"I'll accept it when it's deserved," Luke stated as he looked up at the door on the far side of the courtyard. He moved forward and scanned the console on the door.

"You can't save everyone," Jacob said. Claire could see the pain in his face. She knew that look. That was the look of someone that got there too late. Claire waited until Jacob had joined Luke at the console before catching Miranda's arm.

"What are they talking about?"

Miranda wet her lips and checked to make sure that Luke and Jacob were out of earshot. It had to be a touchy subject if Miranda got nervous just talking about it.

"There've been a few operations that didn't go to plan, but the one Luke's torn up most about is a rescue operation he lead a little over a year ago," Miranda started as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She glanced in Luke's direction. Claire could tell there was something other than professionalism between them, but with how cold Luke had been to her, she might be wrong.

"What happened?"

"Mercenaries had taken control of a mining facility and Luke took his whole team to neutralize the situation, but when they got there," Miranda paused. Claire could see that even Miranda felt horrible about the mission. Something truly awful must have happened. "Well, no one was prepared. The mercs had executed the civilians, even left a few on the landing platform to make sure new arrivals saw them. I only read the mission reports but apparently Luke lost it. He charged head-long into the facility and killed everything that moved. Most of the squad used half a thermal clip during the operation, but Luke… He used every clip he was carrying, used some of the enemy weapons, and burned through his amp. That was not supposed to be possible for him," Miranda stated.

Claire could hardly believe it. Not that her brother lost his temper, more that he did not freeze up at the sight of the dead civilians. It was truly incredible how far he had come from since he and Garrus had stepped onto the Normandy. But what was this about his amp? "What do you mean? Biotics burn out amps every once in a while right? Especially if it's over used," Claire stated glancing over at Luke and Jacob as Luke ran some kind of decryption program on the door's access console.

"But when Luke got his implant, we inserted an inhibitor chip to make sure his biotics did not spike too high and cause his brain to hemorrhage. Without that chip, Luke could have cooked his brain just training with his new implants and amp," Miranda explained.

Claire sighed and lowered her head. What could have possessed Luke to let Cerberus put him on an operating table again? Did he do it for her? Was that part of his deal with them? She hoped not, but at this point, everything was surprising her. Two years and she had missed everything. Steeling herself against everything would be the only way to process everything. She needed to consider it amnesia that would never recover and learn what happened, just like studying history back in school.

"Door's unlocked," Luke reported standing and getting into position to breach the entryway.

"Pop it!" Claire ordered. The door hissed open and Luke rushed in with his weapon ready. Claire entered right behind him followed closely by Jacob and Miranda, yet all four stopped and stared that the occupants of the space. Quarians.

"Don't move!" one of the aliens shouted raising his rifle. Luke immediately stepped in front of Claire. In one fluid motion, he knocked the quarian's rifle from his hands with a small biotic burst and stepped in pressing the barrel of his pistol up under the quarian's breathing apparatus and chin.

"Take your own advice," Luke snarled. The speaker in the helmet was not as distorted as when he met up with Claire at the Lazarus Facility, but it was enough that she barely recognized it. That tone though, that tone meant he was ready to kill the man if anything went sideways.

"Praza, you said you would let me handle this," another quarian said stepping between the two groups without a weapon. Claire knew that voice, that purple and gray suit. It couldn't be. It was too much of a coincidence. Way too weird… Tali'zorah vas Neema. "Wait, Shepard?"

Claire signaled for everyone to lower their weapons and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder gently pulling him back. Luke seemed reluctant but retracted his weapon and lowered it to his side. He did not holster it, but given the tension in the room Claire didn't blame him for that. Though if Tali only knew it was Luke in that Cerberus armor that would be an interesting discussion to see. A few of the Quarians seemed to relax seeing her and the team lowering their weapons. However the quarian Luke had disarmed pulled a pistol and took aim at them.

"Put your weapons down!" Tali snapped. The confidence and presence she exuded reminded Claire a little of Mallory when she had made lieutenant.

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives," Praza snarled directing his pistol at Luke. Claire sighed and crossed her arms. If he did happen to get a shot off, Luke would drop him in the blink of an eye. Claire sincerely hoped that it did not come to that.

"Praza, put your weapon down," Tali ordered again before turning back to Claire. "Shepard… is that really you?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay so, I had some time today and decided to try and pump out a chapter with the time I had. Thanks to everyone that put a review on the last chapter. I'm so happy all of you are enjoying the story. So this chapter has a few references to Ascension without going into too much detail, so if you get a little lost you can look up the plot line of the novel on Wiki. Y'all's reviews always make my day so thanks so much. As always, please read and review, but most of all, enjoy!**

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"Hey Tali. It's me," Claire said softly. Luke looked between them and smiled. He was very happy that neither one of them could see his face. Tali would definitely not understand his involvement with Cerberus, especially after the incident with Gillian and the Migrant fleet. Luke had only heard about the operation and made sure that no one in the Wolf Pack was involved.

"I…I can't believe it," Tali said taking a step closer. It seemed like she was trying to confirm that it really was Claire before completely trusting her.

"It looks like the geth data I copied for you helped you complete you pilgrimage," Claire stated. She must have been thinking the same thing Luke had been. Very few people knew that Claire had given Tali the data. Luke assumed Claire was trying to confirm her identity for Tali.

"Yes, it did. Relax everyone. This is definitely Shepard," Tali said turning back to group of quarians.

"Why is your old commander working for Cerberus?" Praza asked holstering his pistol.

"She's not," Luke stated.

"Cerberus rebuilt me after my…um…death experience. They asked me to investigate the missing colonists. If it is half as bad as they made it out, something will have to done about it," Claire explained raisin a hand to stop Luke from continuing.

"Unlikely. No organization like Cerberus would use so many resources to bring back on soldier," Praza stated snidely as he crossed his arms.

"You have never seen her in action, Praza. It was money well spent, trust me," Tali shot back.

"What exactly are you doing on Freedom's Progress? Seems Like an odd place to bump into a team of quarian marines," Miranda asked as her eyes scanned the room. Luke knew she was analyzing their combat options and making a plan in case things went south fast.

"If you must know, we're here looking for one of our people named Veetor. He was here on pilgrimage," Tali said. Luke smirked at the sharpness of her tone. Tali had grown up quite a bit from the little girl that talked shop with him on the Normandy.

"Isn't that a little strange? A Quarian on a remote human colony for their pilgrimage?" Claire asked.

"It's like I told you when I joined you to fight Saren. Quarians can choose where they go on pilgrimage and Veetor was always uncomfortable in crowds. I assume that he liked the idea of a smaller community and helping them get established rather than a larger settlement," Tali explained.

"What she's saying is that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an open air exposure infection, and he's likely delirious," Praza added earning him a look from Tali that Luke could tell could have killed the man which shut him up pretty quick.

"He saw us land but then barricaded himself inside a warehouse on the far side of town. He might also be the one that reprogrammed the mechs to attack everything that moved," Tali informed them.

"Cooperation seems to be our best option," Luke stated stepping forward.

"I agree. Veetor is the only one who can tell us what happened here," Claire added.

"Good idea, you'll need two teams to get past the drone anyway," Tali said nodding. "Head for the warehouse on the far side of town. We will loop around and meet you there."

"Now we're working for Cerberus?" Praza exclaimed taking a threatening step forward.

"No Praza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship," Tali snapped back at him. The quarian snorted and took a couple steps back.

"Your people really don't like Cerberus. Any particular reason?" Claire asked glancing back at Luke.

"They killed our people, infiltrated our flotilla, and tried to blow up one of our ships," Praza growled.

"That's not how I would have explained it, exactly," Miranda started. Luke scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Of course not. You would never admit that a Cerberus team flubbed up and cost lives unnecessarily," Luke stated. The statement earned him looks from everyone in the room.

"An interesting opinion from a Cerberus commando. You're the Alpha Wolf, aren't you?" Tali asked placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry about the Idenna incident. My team did not take any part in that operation," Luke stated bowing his head. "Honestly, I don't know how Grayson could betray his own daughter like that, but I suppose he came through in the end."

"Alpha, it might not be the best idea to bring up Grayson," Jacob cautioned.

"Why not? He redeemed himself in my eyes. I admire someone who is willing to take a stand against the Illusive Man," Luke responded.

"Yet you lead one of the most accomplished teams Cerberus has. You are nothing like I expected you to be. But I suppose I should have expected something like this. You did save Lt. Forzan and the Cyniad," Tali stated. Luke shrugged.

"I figured a Cerberus team should recover the ship that they tried to blow up. I just wish we could have saved more of the crew," Luke answered.

"In any case, thanks. Let's get to Veetor," Tali said looking back to Claire.

"Make sure to stay in radio contact," Claire stated.

"We will. And whatever happens, it's good to have you back," Tali said. Luke could hear the smile on Tali's face in her voice. She might have been just as happy to see Claire alive as he was.

After the quarians left, Miranda turned and pushed Luke's shoulder to make him face her.

"What the hell was that?" she scolded. Luke immediately ripped his helmet off.

"What the hell was that!? You knew that a royal charlie-foxtrot that op turned into. An apology is the least Cerberus owes to the Quarian people and you fucking know it!" Luke roared.

"Enough," Claire snapped. "Luke put your helmet back on. Miranda, stow the attitude. Jacob, take point. We can hash this out later. Right now, we need to get to Veetor."

Luke nodded and replaced his helmet, locking it in place before falling in line right behind Jacob. He didn't like Claire snapping at him like that, but he knew she was right. Still got under his skin that Miranda would stick up for such a colossal pig screw. A failure is a failure. Own it, learn from it, and improve. That is the only way to keep moving forward. Of course, the Illusive Man had tried to get the Wolf Pack involved in the operation and Luke could have easily done it, but the last thing he wanted to do was help Cerberus get their hands on another child for their experiments. Or course, at the time he was investigating the Blood Pack's activities in the Terminus Systems anyway and couldn't abandon that mission.

As the group moved through the prefabs, the radio suddenly sparked to life. Tali's voice came over the comms and informed them that Praza had rushed ahead to take Veetor away before they could get there. Because of their haste, all the drones were headed straight for them. Typical quarian marines, accomplish the mission as quickly as possible with no regard to what needed to be sacrificed. Miranda said something about betrayal and Luke had to force himself not to say anything.

"Double time people," Claire shouted as they took off at a sprint.

Luke kept his eyes scanning the roof tops and the sky to make sure they were not taken by surprise by any drones or mechs as he tried to keep up with the group. Though he should really have paid more attention to where he was going. Next thing he knew he was lying flat on his back with his eyes still on the sky.

"Luke, there's wall there," Claire stated trying to contain her laughter.

"I was checking its stability," Luke answered scrambling to his feet.

"With your face?" Claire responded.

"I don't want to talk about it," Luke retorted.

"Seriously, you didn't see it?" Claire asked.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." That simply earned him a laugh from his sister. He could have sworn he heard Jacob chuckle a little too.

000

Luke took shelter next to the large door of the warehouse. He could hear the machine guns roaring just inside and even feel the steps of their enemy vibrate through the ground. Tali had informed them over the radio that Praza's squad was being torn to pieces by a heavy mech Veetor had reprogrammed. Luke was starting to get really annoyed by their target's tech savvy.

"We move in and find cover as quickly as possible. Cover the quarians' withdrawal," Claire stated. "Tali, we're in position. Open the door."

The heavy door lifted slowly but Luke did not wait for it to finish, he ducked inside and slid down behind a bunch of crates and a barricade that were less than a couple meters inside the door. Claire and the other joined him quickly as a quarian was shredded by the mech's machine gun sending him over the barricade and onto Luke's head.

"Damn it," Luke snapped as he tried to wipe the blood from his visor. He could feel the memories of his mother and father seeping in through the cracks.

Claire reached up and wiped it away with a small rag. Luke nodded his thanks as his hand drifted to the leg pouch. He stopped himself before revealing his stash. Now was not the time to use the serum, especially not in front of Claire.

"That mech has heavy armor plating. Those quarians never stood a chance," Jacob said peaking over the top of their hiding spot.

"This is gonna be on tough son of a bitch to take down," Miranda shouted firing a couple rounds at the mech.

"Then would you mind telling your son to behave," Luke shouted back before sprinting to the prefab on the left.

Luke expected to be reprimanded but Claire seemed more focused on the mech and trying to keep the quarians alive. Luke ducked into the prefab and opened his omni-tool running a diagnostic on the mech. Jacob was right. The armor was a heavy composite that could stand up to most types of ammo, sadly the exceptions were unavailable at the moment. The only options they had were using tech and biotics while distracting it with small arms fire.

Setting his shields to an overload pulse, Luke dug a syringe form his leg compartment and twisted the end into his injection port. As the plunger fell, he felt the surge of biotic power flow through him and grow exponentially.

" _Luke, draw its fire. We're pinned down!"_ Claire shouted over the radio.

Luke stood and took a slow breath tossing the syringe under one of the beds. "I got this," Luke responded. Bringing up his barrier, Luke stepped out of the prefab and drew up as much strength as he could launching himself forward in the most powerful biotic charge he could muster. He collided with the mech head on. The metal monster stumbled as its shields shattered and armor dented under the pressure of Luke's attack. However the attack knocked Luke to the ground shattering his shield and taking down his barrier, but his biotic energy still resonated all around him as he leapt back to his feet and flipped over his enemy landing on the mech's back. Using his biotics, Luke punched through the neck joint of the mech and ripped the machine's head off flipping backward as the power cell in the mech went critical. The explosion pushed him back a little but Luke steadied himself before tossing the head over his shoulder.

"You wanted me to draw fire?" Luke asked as he dusted the ash off his arms and approached Claire. She shook her head smiling.

"Always taking it over the top," Claire said patting him on the shoulder.

"How else would I keep up with the great Captain Shepard?" Luke asked crossing his arms.

"Oh geez, don't you start with that Captain stuff. Come on, let's check on Tali and the quarians," Claire said waving everyone forward. Luke nodded and winced as the migraine began to set in. He could feel the blood running from his nose and down onto his lips. He would have to find a way to hide this from Claire and Miranda. Claire would get over protective and Miranda might figure out he was still using the serum. Both would make life hell for him. For the moment, he needed to keep his addiction under wraps with everyone, even from his team.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, so i have been on a bit of a role lately with this fic. I guess I can be thankful for the time to right even though I'm sick. Anyway, big bomb shell being dropped in this chapter. Shout out to MizDirected for letting me bounce ideas off of you and to BlackBeltDancer for pushing me to not play ME all the time and actually work on my fic. Thanks to everyone who has been putting up reviews, they always brighten my day up tremendously.**

 **As always, please read and review but most importantly, enjoy!**

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Veetor sat in front of the monitors muttering about monsters and swarms, but Luke allowed Claire to head in with Jacob and Miranda to debrief him. Luke wanted to take a look around to try and collect more samples, not to mention hide the blood that had soaked his face from his nose down. Slipping into a small alley between the prefabs, Luke took off his helmet and used a small wipe to clean the blood from his face and nose. As he was about to wipe the inside of his helmet, he heard for steps coming toward his and quickly slipped the helmet back on.

"Alpha, you don't seem like the other Cerberus agents. Why?" Tali asked coming up behind him as he knelt down, faking that he was searching through some of the garbage.

"I have issues with actions Cerberus as taken. I'm not as devoted to the organization's ideals, but the current mission I believe in whole heartedly. Lives are what matter most," Luke explained running a scan with his omni-tool before standing and heading over to what was left of the heavy mech.

"Shepard seems different. What did they do to her?" Tali asked.

"That's classified. All I can tell you is that it was expensive in both credits and lives," Luke responded closing his omni-tool and pulling a circuit servos adapter from the mech's central unit. It would serve well for extra parts. He turned back to Tali as he pocketed the servos. It felt odd talking to Tali like he was someone else, but it was necessary. She could not find out who he was, at least not yet. Alpha Wolf need to keep his identity mysterious and feared. If anyone besides the few who already knew found out, it could spell disaster for Claire's reputation and Mallory too. The brother of a well respected Alliance officer and a galactic hero working for a terrorist organization, the PR nightmare alone would make Udina's head explode…well, there had to be a plus side somewhere.

"You know she's worth it. She's the best. I don't know what we would do without her," Tali stated looking over at the warehouse.

"We're just glad she is considering helping us find these colonists. As skilled as our commandos and scientists are, we don't think that anyone but Captain Shepard could do this," Luke stated.

"Captain? Oh that's right. She was promoted. Does it still count if she comes back to life?" Tali asked.

"Hell if I know," Luke responded. He sighed. Comfort was starting to set in and he might let his guard down and give himself away. He hated lying to his friends like this, but he had a mission and a purpose. He could not jeopardize them. "You might want to head in and check on them. The captain will be gentle in her questioning, but Miranda…she's a bit cold hearted."

Tali nodded her thanks as she turned to run up the ramp to the door. Luke knew Miranda all too well, and she would have suggested taking Veetor away before the quarians could get there for interrogation. If he was as sick as Tali and Praza had thought, he would need immediate medical attention from a quarian physician. Cerberus didn't have anyone like that.

"Shuttle Den, this is Alpha. We're putting the bow on this present. Come down on my signal for retrieval," Luke reported through the radio.

" _Roger Alpha, ETA 4 minutes,_ " the pilot responded. Luke turned back to the warehouse where Tali was coming out guiding Veetor down the ramp and toward the prefab where the quarian wounded were being attended to. Claire followed soon after with Miranda and Jacob. Miranda looked absolutely put off that Claire had let Veetor go, just like he knew she would. She was not use to not getting her way, but she really needed to get use to it. Shepard's were notoriously stubborn in everything they did and believed.

"I need a strong drink and a shower," Claire said as she removed her helmet and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"The shower I get, but why the drink? You never drink right after a mission," Luke asked crossing his arms.

"We know who took the colonists, and it's weirder than any of our original theories," Jacob said rubbing his head.

"Oh man, is it mutant bunny rabbit? It's mutant bunny rabbits, isn't it?" Luke said waving his arms dramatically. He saw Claire getting ready to say something and froze pointing a finger straight at her exclaiming, "Don't you dare say its little green men!"

Claire smiled and laughed. "No, try weird looking brown aliens called Collectors. Veetor got some readings that we grabbed a copy of and if Tali finds anything in his debrief, she'll let us know."

"Collectors," Luke said softly as he opened his omni-tool. "Send me those readings."

Jacob sent them over as the shuttle landed behind them and Luke started looking through the data. Scanning through it, he started to isolate different readings, filing them into groups.

"What's got you so interested in the data?" Claire asked as Luke sat down, still working furiously on the screen.

"Collectors are some of the most reclusive aliens in the galaxy. Hardly anyone has heard of them and fewer have seen them. But their technology is unparalleled. No one has ever gotten a solid reading on one of their ships or a detailed analysis of their combat capabilities," Luke explained as two charts appeared and he transferred them to a display screen on the wall.

"What're we looking at?" Jacob asked as Luke stood and highlighted several peaks in the energy readings

"The reading on the left is the one Veetor provided. The other is from a different source. Check out the similarities," Luke said pointing out different peaks and lines of code in the data he had highlighted.

"It all looks like gibberish to me," Claire admitted as she stripped her armor.

Luke removed his helmet then enlarged the graphs. "Look at the energy signature, the IFF frequency, and the resonation values in the mass effect fields. These two may not be the same ship, but they sure as hell are the same class and model. If I were to wager a guess, we're looking at two almost identical ships," Luke said closing down the image.

"Where was the other reading from?" Miranda asked. Luke wet his lips before looking over at Claire. He had to tell the truth, but should he tell her the whole truth?

"Alliance Strategic Defense Files," Luke admitted. Claire went as wide as saucers. The ASDF was a particular part of the Alliance's intelligence branch that dealt with investigations and technological recoveries considered too dangerous to allow public access to. They had been the ones that orchestrated the recovery of what was left of the Thorian on Feros and the disposal of Sovereign after the Battle of the Citadel.

"What event?" Miranda added. Claire glanced over at her before looking back to Luke and waiting for an answer. Luke swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

"The destruction of the Normandy SR-1," Luke started. "These bastards are flying the same kind of ship that killed you." His eyes fell on Claire as she looked over at the data and brought up the image of the Collectors gathering up the humans of Freedom's Progress on the screen.

"I guess you have more than one reason to go after them now," Jacob stated looking over at Claire as he stowed his shotgun in the weapons locker. Luke sighed and shut down his omni-tool.

"Let's just forward this to the Illusive Man for further analysis and get back to base. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," Luke stated sitting down on the bench and trying to relax.

"First, please explain to me how hacking an Alliance intelligence agency was a good idea," Claire said kicking his foot. Luke sighed with frustration and reopened his omni-tool. He displayed three news reports including Claire obituary.

"The official report that was released to the public stated that you were killed by slavers who had stolen advanced weaponry from an unknown source. I wanted the raw data they collected so I could figure out who exactly it was. Alliance intel had no clue. And I didn't hack just one…" Luke cleared his throat and looked down sheepishly. "I hacked seven."

"Seven?" Claire exclaimed in unison with Miranda and Jacob.

"What? There's the ASDF, AEIS, SSA, CIA, DIA, AMSF, and ACF. None of them had any real clue as to who killed you," Luke stated.

"Okay, I don't even know what half of those are but that is a serious crime," Claire shouted.

"I work for Cerberus. Everything I do is pretty much a crime by Alliance and Council rules," Luke snapped. "I lead a team of off the books commandos and we go around saving people and killing mercenaries. I would probably be arrested for murder if C-Sec or the Alliance Military Police ever caught me."

"The point is you were a cop. That's what you always told me," Claire scolded. "You executed people for their crimes right in front of me."

"I guess I'm not a cop anymore am I? I stopped being a cop the second I signed on with you. I just never wanted to admit it," Luke said glaring up at his sister.

"Then what are you?" Claire snapped.

Luke sat silent for a moment looking away from his sister. He couldn't tell her, not now. It would only make her more angry with him. He had to tell her something. Looking up at her again, he spoke calmly and softly. "I'm a operative, and a damn good one."

Claire shook her head and turned around to take a seat on the opposite side of the shuttle. Luke sighed and sat back in his chair. What she must think of him and the things he's done. He found himself hoping that his sister didn't hate him for the things he had done.

000

As the shuttle docked with the Stage, Luke stuffed his armor in his duffle and slipped his hoodie on over his under suit setting the hood over his head. He hopped out of the ship the second the door opened and made his way toward the showers. His head ached as his migraine ripped through the right side of his head like a chainsaw.

"Luke, aren't you forgetting something?" Claire shouted after him.

"What? Was I suppose to give Jacob a kiss before I ran off?" Luke asked turning around. He sighed realizing that Claire was holding his rifle up. "I guess I should probably grab that." He had been hoping Claire and the others would not have noticed the rifle. He needed an excuse to go back to the shuttle. He had a sensitive call he needed to make and the shuttle's isolated frequency served very well for messages that he did not want Cerberus seeing. He had to come up with a reason to stay in the shuttle alone for just a couple minutes.

As he accepted the rifle, Luke unzipped his duffle and tried to place the collapsed weapon inside. He made sure to catch the corner of the butt plate against the edge of the back which dumped his armor onto the floor.

"Nice," Claire said looking down at her brother. She began to kneel to help pick it up but Luke started pulling the pieces away from her.

"I can clean up my own mess. Besides, you have a meeting to get to," Luke snapped. He hated being rude to his sister especially when she was trying to be nice, but he need to be alone.

"I was just-" Claire started.

"I got it." The pointed statement came out a lot nastier than Luke had intended but it got the job done. Claire jumped to her feet and stormed off toward the comm room followed closely by Miranda and Jacob. The pilot exited the shuttle as well as Luke sat down faking like he was inspecting his helmet.

"You coming sir?" the pilot asked.

"Just checking my armor. Don't worry I'll lock up and turn out the lights," Luke stated putting his and inside and peering in. There was nothing wrong with the helmet other than the dried blood along the jaw padding oxygen regulator.

The pilot nodded and headed off toward the pilot's quarters as Luke reached over and closed the shuttle door. Finally he was alone. He gathered up his armor quickly and stowed it in his bag with his weapons before jumping up into the cockpit. He opened the comm line and linked into the nearest Alliance buoy. At the wavelength he was transmitting at, it would not look like anything unless someone ran an in depth analysis of the signal. He knew most of the transmission monitoring staff would be to interested in playing their computer games to notice something as small as his message.

" _Code in please,"_ an automated voice said on the other end.

"Alliance Espionage and Intelligence Service. November Six Alpha Charlie Niner Niner Five. Authentication Hellion," Luke responded.

" _Roger, confirming identity, stand by…Confirmed. Forwarding,"_ the voice responded.

" _It good to hear from you, son."_ The new voice said over the comm. Gravely and always sounding a little annoyed as always. Most likely because of the new company he kept.

"Good to be heard. Been a while since I checked in, so I wanted to give you a status report," Luke responded.

" _Don't be so business, son. As far as anyone knows, this is just a social call,"_ The voice responded.

"It's more than that. Claire is awake, up, moving, and fighting. She's already found out whose taking the colonists in the Terminus Systems. This is big, Anderson, really big," Luke reported. Anderson may have been Claire's mentor but that was why Luke trusted him. He was a soldier and a loyal hero in the Alliance.

" _Well don't keep me in suspense,"_ Anderson said.

"Collectors. I think Claire is on board for the operation and the construction of the new ship is almost done. Oh, and on that note, I'm sorry about stealing the personnel I needed to staff the ship. The Illusive Man wanted faces that would make Claire sympathetic to the cause. Make her trust Cerberus," Luke explained.

" _Just make sure it doesn't work to well. I know the Captain is no traitor, but that won't stop others from coming after her for it,"_ Anderson answered.

"I know. I'm doing my best but I think I've overplayed my role. I had to tell them I hacked all the intelligence databases. Claire was…let's just say not happy." Luke rubbed the back of his neck.

" _You knew that could happen when you chose this line of work. Spies don't get to be heroes,"_ Anderson responded. Luke could hear some sympathy in his voice but he knew Anderson was right. This was Luke's plan after all. Get in with Cerberus, bring Claire back, gather intel, and do as much damage to Cerberus operations as he could without blowing his cover.

"Never wanted to be one. Too many parades and ceremonies. Claire's the better hero anyway. Alright, I'm sending you some data that we recovered from Freedom's Progress. I think you and AEIS will find it rather interesting," Luke stated.

 _"_ _I wasn't even told Freedom's Progress had gone dark,"_ Anderson stated.

"Well, they're gone. Only on left was a lone, paranoid quarian that gathered the data I'm sending you. Images and readings confirm the Collector presence. On top of that, I'm sending you a list of all active Cerberus agents I could get my hands on. This should help the Alliance keep an eye on them," Luke added. He glanced to the left and active an outside camera. A mechanic was on his way to the shuttle. "I've got to go. Transmitting data. Once it is through, cut the connection. I have the console rigged to shut down and erase the history when you shut down your end," Luke advised sending the data and intel from his omni-tool through the console.

" _I see it. Get out of there, son, and stay safe."_

"Always do."


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's the next installment. I hope to have a little more time to write later on but life fights me at every turn. I hope you all like it. Please read and review. Hearing from my readers always brightens up my day. Thanks and please enjoy.**

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Claire listened as the Illusive Man explained his approach to gathering intelligence. Not that Claire cared much for people in the intelligence community. They always lied to get what they needed no matter how many people they had to sacrifice for it.

"I've compiled a list of mercenaries, specialists, and scientists. You will get dossiers on the best of them," the Illusive Man said as a screen appeared in front of him.

"Keep your damned list. I want people I can trust," Claire snapped.

"Is your brother not enough?" he asked crossing his legs and taking a drag form his cigarette.

"My brother has been working for you for a while now. There is something he's hiding from me and…why the hell am I telling you this? Look, I want my team. The people that helped me stop Saren and the geth. Tali already helped us on Freedom's Progress. I'm sure she'll be willing to help again," Claire protested.

"Her willingness to aid our cause was an unforeseen advantage. I will need further data before moving forward," the Illusive Man said.

"What about Garrus, or Wrex? And Liara, where are they?" Claire asked.

"The turian vanished only two months after your death. Not even we have been able to find him. Your krogan friend returned to Tuchanka as you well know, and has been trying to unite the Krogan people. Liara T'soni has taken up a position on Illium as an information broker. There have been rumors that she is mixed up with the Shadow Broker. If true, that she is not to be trusted," the man said taking another drag from his cigarette before putting it out.

"And Kaidan Alenko? My sister?" Claire asked.

"Commander Alenko has been working for AEIS and has changed locations several times over the past year, and your sister has her own position that she will not abandon. Trust me, I have tried to recruit her before."

Claire looked over at the man and crossed her arms. She wondered what kind of deal he had tried to make Mallory. Was it anything like the one he had made Luke? Or was it something different?

"Okay, I get it. They're not available. So who are you giving me?" Claire asked.

"I've sent four dossiers as well as approved of Miranda and Jacob joining you. Your brother and his team will accompany you as well. Go to Omega and recruit Dr. Mordin Solus, you will need him to combat the collectors' technology," the Illusive Man said displaying a picture and short description of Dr. Solus for her to see.

"Is this a volunteer job or am I being volunteered?" Claire asked.

"You always have a choice Shepard. But you must heed the advise of others, something your brother does not seem to understand."

Claire smiled at the comment. Luke was a thorn in the Illusive Man's side. That definitely earned him a few points back in her book even if he was behaving like an ass.

"So, retrieving Dr. Solus is what you advise?" Claire asked. She had to admit, with a just a cursory read of the dossier, she could tell the salarian scientist was brilliant. He was considered a genius even by salarian standards.

"That is the first thing."

Claire closed the display and looked back at the Illusive Man. What the hell else did he want her to do? "And the second?"

"We've got a pilot I think you'll like. Someone you can trust."

The transmission cut off and Claire raised her hands letting out an exasperated huff. That guy gave her the creeps. Those freaky glowing eyes and the way he always seemed to know what was going on before she did. It was like he had the whole thing planned since her…incident.

"Hey Commander…oops, sorry…Captain. Almost like old times, huh?"

Claire whirled around to see Joker standing there with that goofy grin of his all over his face.

"Joker! Holy crap, what…I can't believe it's you!" Claire exclaimed hopping off the podium and jogging over to him.

"Easy there Shepard, remember there's a big fragile stamp on my forehead," Joker said tracing his index finger across his brow.

Claire laughed and gently pulled him into an embrace. It felt like she had just seen him not a week earlier, but she knew it had been quite some time for him.

"I can't believe it's really you, Joker," Claire said as they started up the stairs.

"Look who's talking. I saw you get spaced," Joker said as he hobbled along in front of her. Claire smiled and sighed.

"I never thought I'd see you in a Cerberus uniform," Claire said tapping the insignia on his shoulder.

"It all fell apart without you, Captain. Everything you built, the Alliance just wanted it gone. The crew was split up and I got grounded. The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me, hell yeah I joined Cerberus. I mean, come on. They can't be all bad. Luke joined up, they saved your life, let me fly, and then there's this," Joker said gesturing to a window that looked out over a dry dock; lights shown down on a silver hull of a massive ship, sleek and powerful. The design made her remember the day on Earth when she had met Joker on the dock.

"I can't believe it," Claire breathed.

"They just told me last night," Joker said crossing his arms.

The new ship bore such a resemblance to the old Normandy that Claire found herself feeling rather nostalgic. The hull had that same slim and smooth shape that the SR-1 had. Even the cockpit looked to be the same layout as well. As similar as it looked, the size dwarfed the old ship.

"Good to be home, right?" someone said from behind them. Claire turned to see Luke approaching with a smirk on his face.

"It would feel more like home, if you would get a shave and a haircut," Claire said giving him a light shove as he came into reach.

"Two bits," Joker said chuckling.

"Nice, going old school?" Luke said patting Joker on the back.

"Wait, did you two…I mean…" Claire started looking between them.

"No we're not dating," Luke said jokingly.

"Yeah, he's not really my type. I prefer someone of the feminine persuasion," Joker said making an hour glass figure in the air with his fingers.

"No, I mean, did you know Luke was with Cerberus?" Claire asked looking straight at Joker.

"Who do you think recruited him?" Luke said leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, he said he'd let me fly," Joker said shrugging.

"You really trust the Illusive Man?" Claire asked. She was a little worried about their allegiances. Luke's loyalties were hazy enough. At times he seemed like he was still the same guy that had served with her on the old Normandy, but then that uniform and his comfort with the other Cerberus operatives showed he had changed.

"I don't trust anyone that makes more than I do," Joker answered. Claire smiled. Still the same old Joker. As happy as she was to have him with her, she could not help but be afraid for him. He was an Alliance pilot and had always been proud of that. Best pilot in the fleet, hands down. She was scared of what his new affiliation would do to him if and when they returned to the Alliance.

"You know Claire; right now that ship down there doesn't have a name. Just a number and IFF tag. We said that we would let you name her since she's yours," Luke said looking out the window.

"Mine?" Claire exclaimed. _What the hell does he mean 'mine'? Isn't it a Cerberus ship?_

"If you take the mission to save the colonists, you're going to need a ship and this one is yours. Cerberus built it specifically for you," Luke said turning back to his sister. Claire ran her fingers through her hair as she took a step closer to the window.

"I guess we'll need to give her a name," Claire said smiling and looking over at her two companions.

000

Luke stepped into the assembly area for the crew and took a look at the crew the Illusive man had assigned them. Former Alliance engineers, techs, and marines made up the majority of the crew. A few were colonists that had joined up to get their families back and others were simply wanting to protect their families on the colonies that had not been taken, at least not yet. Then of course there was his team and everyone was giving them a wide birth. Luke could see all eyes turn to him as he entered the room clad in his Wolf Pack armor.

"Alpha, we ready to load up?" Gamma asked stepping forward and shaking his friend's hand.

"Welcome to the Normandy crew Wolf Pack. Most of us are going to serve as onboard security, but myself and a couple of others will serve as a support team for Captain Shepard's ground team," Luke stated addressing the whole team.

"Normandy? Interesting," Sigma stated.

"I want everyone to stow your gear in the armory and dress in you common uniforms. No one on the crew is to know your true identities. You will have regular jobs with the rest of the crew so get comfy," Luke ordered. The pack saluted and filed out.

"I would like to see Captain Shepard," a familiar voice said behind him. Luke closed his eyes and tried not to sigh as he turned to face the medical physician. It had only been a week or so since he had last seen Dr. Karen Chawkwas but in his Wolf Pack armor he could not be his usual self.

"The Captain is inspecting the ship. You will see her right before we launch, doctor. I assure you," Luke stated. As much as he tried to keep his voice even and as official as he could, he knew a familiar tone would slip out.

"Your assurances mean very little to me. If I can't see the captain, then may I see her brother, Luke," Chawkwas asked.

"I'm sure you will run into him on the ship. I believe he is going to be working in the shuttle bay as a mechanic," Luke answered.

"Where is he now?" the physician asked.

"I'm actually not sure. Please excuse me," Luke said bowing his head slightly before turning and following his team. He knew the charade would not hold for long. The second that he went on a mission as Alpha Wolf and got wounded, Chawkwas would know, as would the rest of the crew. Though for the moment, the fewer people he had thinking that he was important, the better. Fewer eyes on him during his clandestine activities and espionage operations. _I'm a spy. I can't trust anyone. The best kept secret is the one only I know. Anderson and Hackett are the only others that know my true allegiance, but I still need to be careful. If I'm ever caught, the Illusive Man will kill me._


	17. Chapter 17

**So it took me forever to write this chapter thanks to work, but I finally got it up. Thank you to everyone for following and reviewing. Every time I hear from a reader or get a new follower, it always brightens my day. Thank you to you all. Please read and review. Hopefully I won't be delayed on the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Luke saluted crisply as Claire stepped on board. She wore her cargo pants and black N7 hoodie, casual and relaxed. It was odd that she was not in uniform, but then again she would never be caught dead in a Cerberus uniform.

"Welcome aboard the new Normandy, Captain. The crew is standing by their stations awaiting your orders," Jacob said standing on Claire's left with Miranda on her right. Luke stepped forward to see Claire smirk at the old blue C-Sec hoodie he wore. He still wore the Cerberus common uniform underneath but it was his little bit of rebellion.

"My suggestion is to start working on these dossiers. I would start with Professor Mordin Solus on Omega. We'll need him to develop a counter measure to protect ourselves if we run into Collectors," Miranda stated.

"Honestly, that makes sense to me. We can't end up like the colonists," Claire stated crossing her arms and looking around.

"Acquiring Professor Solus seems to be the most prudent course of action," a simulated voice stated. Luke looked around for a second before a holographic orb appeared.

"What the hell? What is this?" Luke shouted examining the console.

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew have taken to calling me EDI," the orb informed him.

"Why wasn't I told about this? No one ever told me you were installing an AI," Luke snapped looking over at Miranda.

"This was a separate project. It was only installed a few weeks ago," Miranda snarled back.

"Helmsmen don't like it when some takes control of their ship away from them. Especially Joker," Claire said glancing up toward the cockpit.

"I do not helm the ship. In combat, I operate the cyber warfare and electronic warfare suites. Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste," EDI stated.

"Why the hell is there an AI on this ship?" Luke snapped.

"We put in anything and everything that might help in the mission including EDI and allowing your Wolf Pack on board…" Miranda said sharply.

"Enough. The AI is installed already so there's nothing we could do, I'm sure it'll be useful at some point," Claire said rubbing her forehead. Luke thought she might be starting to get biotic migraines but she still seemed to be oblivious to her new abilities. "As far as having help with the mission goes, we need all the help we can get. I'll take anyone and anything."

"Claire, this could be really dangerous. This thing is an AI like the geth," Luke protested.

"EDI has AI shackles that keep her from turning on us or disobeying direct orders," Miranda stated. Luke pursed his lips and forced himself to stay quiet until he could think through how to answer. The last thing he needed was to get into a screaming match in front of Claire and the crew with Miranda. They needed to show a united front, at least in front of a crew. Luke simply threw up his hands and turned toward the cockpit. Joker might help lighten things up a little.

"Luke," Claire called after him. He stopped and turned to look back at her. "Come see me in my quarters later, okay?"

Luke nodded before turning back toward the cockpit. He wondered what Claire could possibly want to talk about in her quarters. Could she still be doubting his loyalty to her? Or was she curious about his allegiance to Cerberus?

"Yo Luke! Check this out, it's my baby! Better than new, fits me like a glove," Joker said spinning around in his chair. Luke smirked. He was already feeling better. "And leather seats. Military hardware, cutting edge technology, and civilian class comfort by design."

"Glad to see you're keeping things in perspective," Luke said planting himself in the co-pilot seat.

"Reconstruction was not meant to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made," EDI stated. Luke sighed, he just couldn't get away from that damned computer.

"And there's the down side. I like the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she's got this thing I don't want to talk about…like ship cancer," Joker said casing a dark look at the glowing blue orb.

"I don't know. The ship just doesn't feel right, you know. It's not the same, not even with Claire in command again," Luke said softly.

"We'll you know, you got me. We got to take what we can get. The last two years sucked. Even if Cerberus installed an AI to spy on us, I don't think they'll try to screw us over," Joker answered.

"Not yet, but they will," Luke retorted.

"Thanks for that update Dr. Doom-and-gloom. Now over to EDI for sports," Joker mocked in his best reporter voice.

Luke laughed so hard tears formed in his eyes. It had been a long time since he laughed that hard. It felt good.

000

Standing over the galaxy map as the Normandy pulled away from the dry dock, Claire found herself feeling cold as tingles ran across her skin. The lights hurt her eyes as her head throbbed. This headache had been constantly getting worse since she had woken up. She felt better while in her armor but she couldn't wear that around the ship.

"Are you alright Captain?" a woman asked. She had coppery red hair and a very kind face. Bright green eyes looked up at her seeming a little star-struck.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache," Claire lied. Nothing about this was okay. She knew she needed help, but who could she trust to talk to about it? Where could she go to talk about it where no one else would hear?

"I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I'll be monitoring your personal messages and crew morale," the woman said cheerfully. The enthusiasm Claire saw in her eyes made her smile.

"Wouldn't a VI be more suited to that?" Claire asked. Most commanding officers did have both VI's and personal assistants, but Claire had never liked having someone wait on her hand and foot.

"I'm also the ship psychiatrist. I find that it is better to observe the crew's behavior in an informal setting," Kelly stated. Claire sighed. A psychiatrist was assigned as her personal assistant. Maybe that was the Illusive Man's way of letting her know he thought she was crazy too.

"Hey Claire, you said you wanted to talk?" Luke said coming up behind her.

"Yeah," Claire responded before turning to Kelly. "It was nice to meet you. My brother and I are heading up to my quarters. Let me know once we are coming into Omega."

"Okay Shepard," she chimed happily before turning back to her console. Claire felt a little uneasy about Kelly. What was someone that cheery and perky doing with Cerberus, or was it just a mask? Who could she truly trust on this ship?

As Claire and Luke entered the elevator, Luke crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Claire could tell he was a little nervous about talking with her, though she wasn't sure why. All she wanted to do was try to catch up on what had happened in the past two years. She'd prefer to hear it for him rather than read it on the extranet.

"So…um…what'd you wanna talk about?" Luke asked.

"Just trying to wrap my head around everything, you know. I guess the main thing is… well… I know you're all saying it's been two years, but for me it's only been a few hours," Claire started as the elevator door opened revealing a small area with another door on the opposite wall. She had not been up to her quarters as of yet, mostly because she felt that the longer she delayed in accepting the Captain's quarters, the longer she could pretend that she was not joining forces with Cerberus.

"That must be really hard to deal with," Luke said as he headed toward the door and palmed the console.

The door opened revealing a massive living space with most of the left wall taken up by a massive aquarium. On the right was a work area with a large desk and a terminal. Glass cases surrounded both sides of the desk with places for model ships and there was a holo on the desk of her, Mallory, and Luke. One that had been taken at the victory party on the Citadel.

"I told them you would like the aquarium and the model case," Luke said turning back to his sister. Claire smiled and kept looking around the room. She had her own private bathroom with a shower and it was far larger than the one on the old Normandy.

"This is great Luke. Thank you," Claire said sitting down on the couch.

"Look, I know this is a lot to deal with," Luke started. Claire sighed and sat down next to him.

"It's not just that. When I woke up, I thought I'd been rescued… by the Alliance. It had only been a couple of minutes for me. On top of all that, I haven't felt right since I woke up. I feel alright when I'm in my armor, but now…" Claire ran her fingers over the skin of her forearm and looked up at Luke.

"Tingles right? I got those too. It's a side-effect of the biotics," Luke said allowing the blue energy to pulse from his body.

"Biotics? I'm not a biotic," Claire protested as she looked down at herself.

"You got your abilities the same way I did. The J-11 serum," Luke said keeping his eyes focused on anything but his sister. Claire could feel her stomach turning into knots. She had been dosed with the same serum that had caused her brother's drug addiction.

"Why would you do that?" Claire exclaimed.

"Do what?"

"Dose me with the same poison that you did. Why?" Claire watched Luke turn away from her as he rubbed the back of his head. "Luke, why?"

"Because you were gone and it was my fault! If I hadn't, you'd be gone… forever!" Luke snapped jumping to his feet and starting to pace.

"That doesn't answer my question," Claire shouted back.

"You were gone, Claire. Dead and gone. I had to do whatever it took to get you back. You don't have any idea what the last two years have done to the people that cared about you," Luke roared back.

"So you just turn me over to Dr. Frankenstein?" Claire said standing up.

"I didn't have a choice! The galaxy needs you Claire. It needs its hero. So, yes, I handed you over to an organization that tortured me because I knew they had the tech to save you! I couldn't just sit around drinking myself under ever bar and table I could find," Luke replied.

Claire stopped and watched her brother as he shifted his weight back and forth before continuing to pace. He obviously had been fighting with himself over this decision. Of course, the fact that he was willing to admit that he couldn't keep drinking the way he had been was slightly comforting.

"What happened to you?" Claire asked stepping in front of her brother. As he looked up at her, she saw a familiar look in his eyes. The same look she had seen in the survivors' eyes at Elysium. The look of a man that had lost almost everything and spilled blood to avenge it.

"A lot. I'll tell you more later. For now, you need to get some sleep. Omega is not a place where you can waltz around half asleep," Luke stated motioning toward the bed.

"I'm fine," Claire responded. That was a lie. She was nowhere near fine. She had not slept more than a few hours since she first woke up. Nightmares ravaged her mind every time she closed her eyes. Cold gripped her body and shivers tormented her every second. It was like she was still drifting, freezing inside her own armor. Even breathing seemed difficult at times.

"Claire, you know that's a load of crap and so do I. You helped me through my problems, and I'm gonna help you. Get some rest," Luke ordered as he pulled a small chair over to the side of the bed.

"What're you doing?" Claire asked.

"I remember what Mom and Dad use to do for us when we couldn't get to sleep. So I'm going to stay here and help you fall asleep. We've got four hours 'til we get to Omega so that's how long you're going to sleep." Luke sat down on the chair and nodded toward the bed.

"If you start singing, I'll never get to sleep," Claire responded as she slipped of her boots and crawled into bed. Slow music was their parents' favorite way of putting their kids to bed. Soft classical violin or flute or something beautiful and relaxing always put them straight to sleep. Luke always said it was because it bored him to sleep, but Claire knew he enjoyed it just as much as she and Mallory did.

Luke turned and opened his omni-tool. A slow melody started playing on some kind of flute that was soon accompanied by a clarinet and violin. The tune was slow and beautiful, like a lullaby from a distant memory. Claire could feel her body begin to relax. Then as she was starting to drift off, Luke ran his fingers over her hair, exactly the way their mother use to.

As her eyes closed, she could see the fields off in the distance as she raced Mallory through the yard on their bikes while Luke led the way. The sun was only slightly above the horizon yet the wind was warm and carried a beautiful tune.

Suddenly, the wind turned ice cold and she turned to see their house in flames as a yellow beam crashed down on it. She turned again only to see Joker in the escape pod screaming as Luke reached out for her. She tried to scream but nothing came out.

"Claire!" a voice called out. No, she had to get away. Keep them away.

"GET AWAY!" Claire screamed.

"Claire, open your eyes! It's just a dream. CLAIRE!" Luke's voice thundered around her as her eyes burst open. She was back on the Normandy in Luke's arms as tears streamed down her face.

Claire's body shook all over and her breath was short. Sweat careened down her face and joining the trails of tears.

"I've got you Claire. I've got you. It was just a nightmare. You're okay. You're safe," Luke whispered. Claire laid her head down on his shoulder allowing her brother to comfort her. Though she did not get too much sleep, she did feel a bit more rested.

"I'm sorry," Claire whispered back.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. At least you got some sleep. Come on, we are docking at Omega in ten minutes," Luke said helping her to her feet and kicking her boots over to her.

Claire smiled and slipped her boots on. As much as she had been through, it was still nice to be with her brother and to have his support through everything. She only worried about just how deep Luke had gotten himself in with Cerberus. The thought of his loyalties having changed to the organization scared her. What was the Alliance going to do to him if they ever found out? Did she still have enough influence to protect him from whatever they might want to do to him? And where was Mallory? What would she think of all this?

Shaking her head, Claire followed her brother to the elevator. She needed to worry more about the task at hand. Those colonists were counting on them.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay...don't be mad, but I finally got the next chapter up after a while. We are going to see a bit of Luke's C-Sec undercover past in this chapter, and of course, Claire is recruiting the first members of her new team. Please let me know what you guys think. Reviews always brighten my day. Thank you to everyone who is following and reviewing. Hope y'all enjoy!**

 **So I realized that this one need some editing and a little extra so I added some to it.**

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As the Normandy drifted into the docking position, Luke stood at the armory lockers as he slipped on an armored jacket with a shoulder holster. It was not unlike his jacket back at C-Sec for uncover patrols, but this one had amps for his biotics as well as extra shielding. He rubbed his head, allowing his fingers to slip through and grip his long coppery hair. There were definitely times that he missed his short buzz cut, and now with Claire back it might not feel too take back a little of him he had locked away for this mission. He debated for a moment on whether or not to slip on a baseball cap since wearing his Wolf Pack armor would attract too much attention, especially on Omega. He and his team had been instrumental in killing over a dozen mercenary teams based out of Omega from all of the major merc groups. Not to mention he had dealings with other powerful entities on Omega from his time with C-Sec; most had not ended very well.

"That's a bit of a different look for you," Jacob said handing Luke a Paladin and a pack of thermal clips. Luke stowed the clips under the opposite side of his jacket from the holster. He picked p a baseball cap and examined it before tossing it back in the locker and closing the door.

"Consider it social camouflage," Luke said stowing the paladin in the holster.

"What do you want us to do?" Jacob asked nodding toward the Wolf Pack lockers.

"Hold here. We'll see what Claire wants to do. Have everyone stand by just in case we're called in," Luke said taking two tactical knives and slipping one into his boot while stowing the other in a sheath on his hip.

"Got it," Jacob responded.

Luke nodded and headed out toward the main airlock where Claire and Miranda were waiting. Claire wore her armor, most likely to keep the biotic migraines in check. She looked to be armed to the teeth and ready to move out. Miranda on the other hand only had a pistol and sub-machine gun on her hips and her usual outfit. Luke always wondered why the woman wouldn't put on some simple armor or at least a better shield generator. She'd need it if they ran into Collectors.

"Ready?" Claire asked as Luke approached.

"And willing," Luke said nodding to his sister with a smile.

As the trio exited the ship, Luke checked around them looking for cameras or any other method of surveillance. Though what caught his eye was a salarian coming toward them. His clothes were ratty and dirty, obviously a scavenger, if not a thief.

"Welcome to Omega. You're new here aren't cha? I can always tell," the salarian started. Luke shook his head. Damn, not only a thief but an addict too, though he had little room to talk about addicts. It really would not take an addict to know this alien was using. The jitteriness was an obvious symptom of long term red sand use. As the Salarian reached forward to try and take anything he could get his hands on from Claire, a batarian grabbed his hand and stepped between them. "Oh, hello Moklan. I was just-"

"Leave Fargut," the batarian said pushing the salarain away back. The scavenger immediately sprinted away doing exactly what he was told. "Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega Shepard." The batarian bowed his head as Luke's hand slipped to his pistol.

"You know who I am?" Claire asked.

Luke eyed the batarian's pistol ready to put the alien down just in case he tried anything. Most batarians hated Shepards, mostly because of Mallory's brutal destruction of the batarian forces on Torfan, but some hated Claire for her role in the defense of Elysium.

"Of course. We had you pegged the moment you entered the Terminous. Aria wants to know what brings a dead spectre here. She's waiting for you at Afterlife," Moklan stated.

"When we're good and ready," Luke snarled. He got a quick look from Claire before she turned back to the batarian. The batarian looked over at Luke and crossed his arms.

"Do I know you?" Moklan asked.

"Maybe…you'd think I'd remember," Luke said putting his hands on his hips. The position pulled his jacket away from his body revealing the paladin.

"Afterlife, now," Moklan snarled, obviously not intimidated. Luke scoffed as the batarian turned to leave. He knew the alien was not going to be phased by the presentation of the weapon. This was Omega, where everyone was either in, involved with or victims of gangs and mercenary groups. More criminals from citadel space ran to Omega that any other location in the Terminus. He was just happy that Moklan did not recognize him.

Luke watched the batarian leave as he sighed and scratched the back of his head. Of all the people to recognize Claire, it had to be Aria T'Loak, the pirate queen of the Terminus.

"What the hell was that? Are you trying to pick a fight? We haven't even been here ten minutes," Claire asked turning back to Luke knocking him from his thoughts.

"What? This is Omega, Claire," Luke stated taking the lead. "The only decent people here are the ones that keep their heads down and don't attract attention. Everyone else, they're killers and thieves. Trust me, to survive here you can't be friendly or diplomatic. You have to be the biggest guy in the bar, or at least have the biggest gun."

"You've been here before?" Miranda asked.

Luke sighed and adjusted his jacket before opening his omni-tool. "We're here to do a job, not rehash ancient history," Luke stated. Clearing his throat, he opened several files on his display. "Three possible recruits are here on Omega. Obviously Dr. Mordin Solus, then there's a merc named Zaeed Massani and a local vigilante known as Arch Angel. According to this, Zaeed has already agreed to work with you for an obscene amount of money, but the other two don't even know we're coming."

Clairenodded and started walking as Miranda and Luke fell in step behind her. Luke felt relieved that Claire was not pushing the issue of his past. Like he had said, it was ancient history. Not that Miranda would give up that easy. No doubt that she'd be asking him about it later wanting a full and detailed account of his actions and contacts on Omega.

" _Captain, I suggest that Aria T'Loak will be the best source of information regarding the whereabouts of both Dr. Solus and Arch Angel_ ," EDI stated over the radio.

"We'll look into it," Claire stated. She obviously still felt the same way Luke did about the AI. It could be dangerous. Considering every AI he and Claire had come across in the past had wanted to fight organics or enslave them.

"Anyone else find it a little creepy that EDI listens in on all of our conversations?" Luke asked. Claire stifled her laughter glancing back at her brother; Miranda only glared at him disapprovingly. "Just checking."

000

Zaeed Massani claimed a prickly demeanor that Luke found very common among mercenaries. Of course the scar over most of the right side of his face and that dead eye made him extremely unique and intimidating. The gravely quality of his voice chilled Luke as Claire and he exchanged statements. Claire was being diplomatic as usual even though Luke could tell that Zaeed's language was bothering her. Though Claire had never been extremely religious, she took offense to people using God's name in vain.

Typical Cerberus handling of the contract, leaving out a key part of the deal when they put together the dossier. Zaeed wanted help with a job. Great, because no one could ever say 'yes, let go now.' The job seemed simple. Rescue some workers from some Blue Suns that were using them for slave labor to make a quick cred. That kind of mission was definitely something Claire would do even without the payday or contract.

At the merc's feet was a batarian that apparently had pissed someone off enough to hire Zaeed to go get him. Judging from the blood and bruises, he tried to fight and Zaeed put him down hard. This was Omega. That was the way you handle anything in your way.

Luke kept his eyes scanning around him making sure nothing caught them by surprise, yet the only thing that seemed off was the batarain at Zaeed's feet. The way he was looking around and the tensing in his muscles, it was obvious that he was getting ready to run. Considering the excuses he babbled form time to time, running was his only option if he was to escape.

Sure enough, the moment Zaeed appeared distracted by shacking Claire's hand, the alien took off running. Luke stepped in his way and caught him by the throat. In one fluid motion, he lifted the man off the floor and slammed him down to the metal floor. The force of him meeting the floor knocked the alien out cold.

Straightening up, Luke stepped back into his spot behind Claire. He watched Zaeed approach and kneel next to his bounty. "He's gonna have a headache in the morning," Luke said crossing his arms.

"I think we're gonna get along bloody, damn well," Zaeed said tossing the batarian over his shoulder with a chuckle. "I'll see you on your ship."

Once Zaeed was out of earshot, Luke turned to his two companions. "Well, isn't he just a little ray of sunshine." Claire may have given him a judgmental glare but the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth betrayed her true feelings. Seeing her trying so hard not to laugh only made Luke smile more. She wasn't really her old self again, but she was getting there.

"Come on, one down, two to go," Claire said waving everyone through the door.

The Omega skyline towered over them reminding Luke more of the ground level streets of Zakera Ward than a mining satellite. In front of the them loomed Afterlife, Aria T'Loak's seat of power. Most eyes were turning to them, but mostly Claire. It must have been the N7 on her chest plate. Even in the Terminus, N7 commandos were regarded as some of the best and most feared soldiers. The lights and strobes that decorated the front of the club could have caused a seizure with all the movement and flashing.

"Alright, let go see this Aria person," Claire said starting to move forward.

The bouncer at the door didn't give them much trouble about getting in. Luke assumed it was because of Claire and Aria expecting her. He hoped and prayed that Aria would not remember him. Most of the time a pirate queen did not particularly like people that got one of the top earning raiding crews killed and the captain arrested. He needed to watch his step. Of all people to be on their bad side, Aria was one that he did not want to even make the list.

Luke climbed the steps toward the lounge that over looked the dance floor and bar and acted as Aria's thrown. It had been a long time since he had climbed the stairs, the last time it was with Kallus Nakaran, the turian that commanded Aria's top earning vessel at the time. He could feel his heart surging adrenaline through his veins and pounding inside his head. His fingers kept wanting to reach for his pistol, yet he found his hand reaching for the pair of J-11 syringes he had stashed in his pocket.

 _Focus Luke. You don't need that right now. Not yet._ Luke took a slow breath and placed his hand on the grip of his pistol. He wanted to vanish behind his Wolf Pack helmet and ensure Aria would not recognize him. But they were there now, and he was not about to let Claire walk into a meeting with a dangerous criminal; at least not with only Miranda as back up.

As Claire marched up the stairs toward an asari with a white jacket and dark blue, almost purple, head tentacles, the woman spoke in a harsh tone that could freeze blood in the veins. "That's close enough."

Weapons immediately appeared focusing on Claire, Miranda, and Luke. Luke moved at the same time drawing his own pistol and snatching another from a guard's hand. He pointed his own pistol at a guard that was focused on Claire while holding the guard's own gun to his head. He could feel another gun pressed into his back as his fingers rested on the triggers.

"We're not here for trouble," Claire said stepping slightly to the side so she could see the crime boss.

"Can't be too careful with dead spectres. That could be anyone wearing your face," Aria said refusing to turn around and face her guests.

Collapsing the guard's pistol and handing it back to him, Luke stowed his own weapon back under his jacket. If Claire did not want to cause trouble, then he shouldn't either, Claire might catch the first bullet if this rendezvous turned violent.

"If that were true, a retinal scan is all you need," Luke said placing his hands on his hips. Aria turned to face him and smirked.

"Tom Zeni, I thought you were rotting in a C-Sec prison or dead," Aria said smirking. He knew that look. He had seen it on several other suspects after a long undercover operation.

"Why don't you just call me by my real name? You obviously know it," Luke said crossing his arms. "After all, I know the first rule of Omega."

"And you broke it. You think showing your face here was a good idea?" Aria snarled threateningly.

"Not his choice. He works for me," Claire said looking back at her brother. "We need information on two people that are here."

"So that's what you need. Everyone needs something," Aria said walking back to her couch and taking a seat.

"What's it going to cost us?" Luke asked.

"At least you remember how Omega works," Aria said motioning for Luke and Claire to sit down next to her.

Luke sighed and moved forward. _God help us. The last person we want to get in bed with is Aria T'Loak. Dealings with her always come at a cost…_

"We're looking for Dr. Mordin Solus," Claire said shortly.

"Mordin is in the slums trying to cure a plague that's spreading there," Aria said leaning back. "I always liked Mordin; he's just as likely to kill you as heal you."

"And for this information, what's your price?" Luke asked.

"There is a group of vorcha operating in the area that are making life hell on my people. I remember you had an affinity for destruction and making problems disappear. I want you to lay some of that classic Tom Zeni destruction on that crew," Aria said smirking.

Damned if he wasn't right. Though laying waste to a street gang was not as high of a price as Luke had expected. Vorcha were one of the alien species that Luke found truly repulsive. They never got sick and ate nearly anything, sometimes even each other, and the stretched skin that covered them always looked like it was decaying. A plague in the slums, vorcha running rampant, there had to be a connection especially if Aria wanted them gone. This was defiantly going to get more complicated.

"What about Arch Angel?" Claire asked. Luke saw the guards exchanging looks. That could be a good thing or a very bad thing. Apparently this vigilante had a reputation on Omega, otherwise the guards would have been just as stoic as usual.

"Showed up a few years ago and started stirring up trouble with the local merc bands," Aria started crossing her legs. "Carved a path that even I found impressive."

"And you never took steps to neutralize the problem?" Miranda asked.

 _Lucky for us._ Luke thought glancing over at the woman. She couldn't have just kept her mouth shut for this meeting. She had a personality just as prickly as Aria, sometimes more so.

"Why should I? He never targeted me," Aria responded.

Typical Aria, always looking out for number one. Luke smirked. That pride is what he remembered most about Aria, and it'd most likely be her downfall. If she believed she was invincible and untouchable, she was in for a rude awakening. Though he was starting to like this vigilante and his style. Reminded him slightly of himself, especially the part about mixing things up with the merc gangs.

"Where can we find him?" Claire asked.

"The Blue Sun, Eclipse, and Blood Pack have joined forces to take him out. They're using a room down stairs to recruit. You want to find him, that's the fastest way," Aria said nodding to the dance floor behind her. "I'd hurry though. I doubt he has much time."

Claire stood and looked over at Luke. "Go back to the ship. Tell Alpha to go after Solus. I'll take Massani, Taylor, and Lawson with me after Arch Angel."

"Yes ma'am," Luke answered trying to keep t his identity. It was difficult taking orders from Claire as someone else rather than her brother but it kept them both safe so he didn't mind.

Claire motioned for Miranda to follow her as she headed down the stairs toward the recruiting room.

 _Good luck and be careful Claire. If all three of those groups are working together to take this guy down, Arch Angel must be one hell of a badass._


	19. Chapter 19

**I am so sorry that this is so late getting up. I have gotten a new job and I'm working nights. Fun job and I love it, but doesn't leave much room for writing. Anyway, we are starting to get into the recruitment missions so I hope you guys enjoy it. As always, reviews brighten up my day (considering my days are nights right now, that's saying something) and I am always happy to hear from my readers. Thanks everybody and enjoy!**

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"You look like you could do some damage," a Batarian Blue Sun stated as Claire and Miranda entered. Claire looked around as if lost and innocently placed her hands on her hips.

"What? Us?" Claire said glancing over at Miranda. The operative crossed her arms smirking knowingly. Claire had told her only moments before to follow her lead. That she wanted the merc to invite them, not to volunteer. Thank God, Miranda was actually listening. Cliare had not expected that to say the least. Miranda was definitely not the follow orders type, at least not from anyone that wasn't the Illusive Man. Claire had met a few people like that in the Alliance where they would only follow orders from one commander in particular. It normally got a lot of people killed. She would need to cure Miranda of that particular demeanor.

"Yeah, you lookin' for a fight?" the Batarian asked.

"Sure, who are you after?" Claire asked.

"Some punk vigilante named Arch Angel. You in?" The recruiter looked between the two humans as they exchanged looks. Claire smirked back at Miranda before turning back to the alien.

"Yeah, we're in. Mind if I bring a couple more people, just two more friends that could really use the work," Claire asked. She was sure the Suns were in constant communication so it would be best not to show up with more people than had signed up.

"Works for us. Standard payment is 500 credits, you get paid when the job is done. If you die, your friends can't collect your share, and no, this does not make you a member of the Eclipse, Blue Suns, or Blood Pack. You are a freelancer, period. You'll need your own weapons and armor, which I can see you've got covered. Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, head to the cab station down the block and find Salki. He'll take you to the operations area," the recruiter rattled off. Claire nodded. She didn't like how quickly the recruiter could rattle of the technical jargon. His comfort with it suggested that he had recruited many freelancers other than her and Miranda.

As Claire turned to leave, a young man stepped past her. There was no way that he was older than 18. His clothes had definitely seen better days and all she saw on his belt was a pistol that could not have been worth more than thirty credits. Most likely a street kid.

"This where I sign up?" the kid asked.

"You look a little too young for this kind of work," Claire responded. The youth turned to face her and scowled.

"I'm old enough. I grew up on Omega, I know how to use a gun," he snapped.

"So does Arch Angel, and that pee shooter isn't going to do much against any armor with a decent shield capacitor," Miranda stated crossing her arms.

"I can handle myself. Besides, I just spent fifty credits on this baby and I want to put it to work," the kid stated pulling the pistol. Claire immediately grabbed it and slammed her fist into the action. The blow bent the receiver, essentially making the gun little more than a threatening paper-weight.

"Get your money back. You'll thank me later," Claire stated handing the gun back to him and waving for Miranda to follow her out.

Claire hated to see young people so willing to throw their lives away. True, in war it was sometimes necessary, but for a fight with a vigilante and 500 credits, no one's life was worth so little. Not to her. Yet this mission was going to get bloody. So many mercs going after one person would confuse the bands. She would need a plan but sabotage seemed the best course of action once they reached them. If the mercs did not have the numbers or the mechanical advantage, then they might have a fighting chance.

000

The helmet locked into place as he slipped a pair of paladins into the shoulder holsters and clipped on a belt of thermal clips. The white and yellow armor felt just as comfortable as the blue hoodie he kept with him. The new features the lab sent over for them would definitely come in handy, one of which was a new mode for the armor. Stealth mode operated as a low-grade camouflage system that mirrored the color and texted behind the wearer. The only downside to the armor's feature was that it cut shield strength in half because of the power consumption.

The rest of the team was strapping on their new armor and making some of their own adjustments. Gamma fiddled with his amp and biotic amplifiers before retrieving chest plate, while Theta adjusted the scope on her rifle and Sigma tinkered with her omni-tool trying to rewrite a hacking program. Delta, Kappa, and Zeta looked over the equipment and stocked the team's ammunition and grenade packs; the well oiled machine that Luke had seen over and over again. There were times on missions where Luke would not even need to give an order, he would simply look at a member of the pack and they would know what to do. Maybe he was getting to comfortable with these people, what would happen to them if he was ever found out? Or worse, when he returned to the AEIS? The intelligence community had never been gentle with extracting information or in dealing with enemy combatants.

"What's the op boss?" Gamma asked locking his chest plate in and adjusting the amplifiers in his gloves and boots. Luke had some of the same tech built into his armor as did Claire, but he had turned his amplifiers up rather than dampening his abilities. The strategic advantage greatly outweighed the nose-bleeds and the risks.

"We're going in to recruit a salarian scientist. Professor Mordin Solus. According to the dossier he should be able to help us develop a defense against the collector swarms," Luke explained. The team exchanged looks and Luke knew why. Missions like this rarely went according to plan.

"So what's the catch?" Gamma asked. The rest of the team turned to him waiting for his response. Luke sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked innocently. "Why's there always have to be catch?" The catch…there did always seem to be a catch no matter what they did.

"Cause when they call us in, there's always a catch," Sigma stated. The team exchanged looks as they nodded in agreement again. Even Luke found himself agreeing with the statement.

"Well, the doc is held up in a clinic in the slums. Place is the wild west and currently seeing one of the largest amounts of gang violence I've ever seen. Vorcha and Blue Suns… probably because of the plague in the streets. Best reason I came come up with for how violent the fighting's been," Luke stated. Everyone in the room froze as Luke collected his rifle from the equipment table.

"Wait, plague?" Delta was the first to speak up. Whenever Luke mentioned anything about an illness, plague, or biological agents, Delta always got nervous. Luke made a mental note to ask about it later.

"Don't worry. According to local intel, it doesn't affect humans," Luke explained. "Let's move out." _God help us if intel is wrong._

000

The sounds of battle echoed through the streets as Claire and her team landed. Troops kept their heads low as they held tight to cover. Every time one of them stood up to fire, a round would pierce their head followed closely by the report of a sniper rifle. Obviously very long shots. This Arch Angel was already starting to impress her. The skill would rival hers, maybe even Garrus.

Claire froze as the shuttle doors opened. Garrus, what could have happened to him? The Illusive Man said that he vanished not long after her death, so where was he? Her mind started working in over-drive. A small glint of hope that the turian sniper they were recruiting might be the turian sniper that had sat with her and watched over her while she slept. Of course for her that was only a few weeks earlier, for him…

The time difference was not getting any easier to cope with. Luke had become an amazing biotic and Cerberus Commando. Tali had become a quarian commander with a respected position in the flotilla. Mallory and Kaidan were still with the Alliance (like anything was going to ever change that). Liara, Wrex, and Garrus were strangely absent. She did not trust what the Illusive Man told her about them. She had trouble trusting anything out of that man's mouth.

"Ready Captain?" Jacob asked. Claire looked up to see the rest of the team waiting on her.

"Yeah, sorry. Thinking," Claire said standing and tucking a few stry strands of hair behind her ear.

" _Captain, this is Alpha. The pack had infiltrated the quarantine zone and we're preparing to move toward the clinic. Are we a go?"_ Luke's voice stated over the radio. Claire smirked. The check-in was a procedure used by black ops teams before they entered an unknown situation, and usually preceded the team going radio silent for the operation.

"Roger that Alpha. Don't take unnecessary risks, and keep the loss of life to a minimum," Claire stated. She saw the three people with her exchange looks before looking back to her.

" _10-4, going dark,"_ Luke responded.

"That was a little different Captain. They are dealing with mercenaries," Miranda said softly as she kept an eye on the approaching blue sun mercenary.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, those mercs keep the peace most of the time. If we kill them all, we're inviting anarchy unless there is something or someone to replace them," Claire stated. She stepped forward to meet the batarian.

"You must be who I was waiting on. Come on, I'll explain on the way," the batarian said signaling for them to follow him.

"Are we in a hurry?" Jacob asked.

"You could say that. Arch Angel has been annihilating you freelancers but I'll bet at least a few of you will make it," the batarian said.

"What's the field look like?" Claire asked. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. Why would they tell their freelancers that they were getting killed so thoroughly? Instead of questioning the mercenaries recruit retention abilities, Claire decided to focus on the mission.

"We tracked Arch Angel down to his hide out. He use to have a team but he got rid of them. Now he's alone but the bridge up ahead is the only way in or out, and that bastard is getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon."

Claire looked back at the team and nodded. "Right well, we'll just hang out until you're ready for us. Who do we report to?"

"Sargeant Cathka. He'll be working on the gunship. Head that way soon, the assault is about to get underway," the batarian informed them. Claire nodded and waited for the alien to get out of ear shot.

"Alright, I want everyone to split up. Find anything and everything that could give us an edge. Sabotage, seeds of doubt, infighting, I don't care. Get these mercs to focus more on each other than Arch Angel," Claire ordered. The team nodded and split up.

000

Smoke bellowed from the mass funeral pyres. The filter in his helmet was by far one of the best pieces of equipment he had at that moment, at least in his opinion. Luke had never been even remotely comfortable around the smell of death or burning flesh. Came from the experience of feeling and smelling is own skin sizzling under the slaver's brands.

"Two hostiles far side of the street. Look Like Blue Suns," Theta reported. Luke looked back at the team.

"Stealth protocol," he stated. The team nodded and punched in a code on their omni-tools. The white plates in their armor turned to the rust color of the walls. "Move slowly and only engage in absolutely necessary."

"Alpha, these guys are killing innocent people. I'd say it's pretty necessary," Delta argued. Luke considered the statement for a moment. True, these mercs were killing civilians and usually he would have jumped right in the middle of that fight, but this was the first mission Claire was going to see him commanding. He wanted to show her that he was to be trusted with this and other operations.

"Screw it. Theta, take 'em out. Once their down, we'll search that apartment they locked up, find out what's inside. Maybe it'll give us a clue as to what's got them all riled up," Luke ordered as Theta's rifle cracked off two shots and both mercenaries fell to the floor.

The team moved with seasoned precision. Always covering each other and reading Luke's hand motions as if he were talking straight to them. Sometimes they didn't even need orders. Luke hacked through the door of the locked apartment and motioned for Sigma and Delta to follow him. Without orders, the rest of the team took up defensive positions outside the door.

"Collect whatever intel and ammo we might need. Two minutes 'til we move out," Luke ordered taking a seat in front of the resident's computer. Scrolling through the files, he found most of it was personal. Journals, requests for jobs, letters to his family, but the most recent was audio files. Selecting them, he played them silently enough to not attract attention from the other team members, but thirty seconds into the recordings, he wished he had never listened to them.

"Not much here Alpha, we're ready to move," Sigma stated.

"Right, change or plans. I want every merc we see in this district dead," Luke snarled. He could feel sweat forming on his forehead and his palms were becoming clammy under his gloves. He wanted these bastards dead. He'd rather their deaths be slow and painful but just plain dead would have to do. They were on a schedule.

"Why? What happened? What was on the computer?" Sigma asked.

"I'll explain at the debrief, but know they all have it coming. I don't care who they are, Vorcha or Blue Suns, kill 'em all." His excuse seemed to satisfy their curiosity and they headed out.

Gamma moved up to take the position next to Luke. "What's got you so pissed?"

"All mercs are to be executed on sight, but watch your fire. I don't want civilians hit," Luke ordered trying to avoid the question.

"Alpha, come on. I know you. You wouldn't give shoot on sight orders without a good reason. What's going on?" Gamma asked again.

"Their killing people. Locking them in their own homes and staving them to death so they can move in and take everything they own once this plague is gone. It doesn't matter if their sick or not," Luke stated. Luke saw the demeanor of his team change. Though he couldn't see their eyes or their faces beneath their mirrored visors, he could tell the rage was boiling inside them and steaming from their eyes.

"We're with you Alpha. Hundred percent," Gamma said nodding.

"Kill them all," Delta added flipping his rifle on to full automatic.

"Combat wedge tri-fold. Gamma, you're left with Sigma. Delta, right with Theta. Kappa and Zeta, you're up the gut with me," Luke ordered.

The team split up and moved through the streets with weapons ready. Their eyes constantly scanned for targets or any signs of an ambush. As they moved, the flanking teams would unlock doors to individual apartments and check for survivors. For nearly an enter street, they found only corpses.

"Alpha, got survivors," Delta reported. Luke sighed relieved they had found someone.

"Full team, converge on Delta's position. Kappa, check the survivors over and see what we can do for them," Luke ordered.

As the team formed up around the apartment, Luke saw the survivors were a human couple. Judging by the size of the apartment and their clothes, they were the wealthier class in the area.

"Thank God you're human. When we saw that door open we thought we were dead," the woman said pressing her hand to her heart. Kappa ran bio scans over them to check for any signs of illness before giving Luke the all clear.

"We need some info. We're looking for a doctor, salarian called Mordin Solus. Heard of him?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, that crazy bastard runs a clinic about three blocks down. Has some pretty heavy hardware too. Military mechs and a lot of guns," the man said.

"Not that he needs them," the woman added.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Gamma asked stepping up to Luke's side.

"Some Blue Suns tried to extort protection money out of him, but he just killed them and went back to work…like it was nothing. Three Blue Suns mercs dead at his front door and just went back to work," the man elaborated. Luke smiled and looked over at Gamma.

"Im really starting to like this guy. Let's get moving," Luke said. He turned back to the pair. "You should come with us. We'll clear the way. It'll be safer at the clinic. Sounds like Mordin keeps his patients safe."

"No way! He's crazy," the man exclaimed.

"Then stay here and starve to death. Those are your options," Luke snapped. Why were scared people always so stupid?

"It's better than staying and waiting for mercs to find you," Gamma added.

"Fine, we'll follow you in a few minutes once we gather up some of our stuff," the man said looking over at his companion.

Luke nodded to Gamma and ordered the team to move. Mordin was definitely starting to sound like the kind of guy Luke would enjoy having around; brilliant and lethal, a deadly combination and obviously useful. Of course meeting him and surviving that encounter could be a chore in and of itself.


	20. Chapter 20

**This is longer than my usual chapter but I was on a roll...or maybe a biscuit considering it breakfast time. Anyway, I'm enjoying doing the dueling missions take with these chapters. I hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think. Reviews really make my day and really help boost my confidence. I appreciate everyone that gives even the smallest comment. Thanks bluemarlin and general. Also big thanks to BlackBeltDancer for always talking through ideas and ping-ponging them with me. Enjoy!**

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Bodies, dozens of them littered the streets and ever shot produced another. Freelancers, Blood Pack, Eclipse, and Blue Suns all decorated the pavement in an elaborate, colorful collage of armor and blood. Claire found herself partially repulsed by the sight, but the other part impressed with this Arch Angel's abilities. He could definitely out shoot her considering she was a little rusty, though she was still certain Garrus could give him a run for his money.

Miranda appeared next to her. Claire had sent her to sabotage the Blood Pack as best she could, while Jacob took the Eclipse and Zaeed dealt with the Blue Suns. Apparently the bounty hunter had a history with the merc group that gave him an in with them.

"I put a small explosive charge inside their store of ammunition. It should cause a large enough explosion to thin their numbers," Miranda reported. Claire nodded and glanced back that the gun ship behind them. Sargeant Cathka was who they needed to report to but Claire wanted to make sure they were ready to be deployed just in case they could not finish the sabotage.

"Captain, deactivated the friend/foe interface on the heavy mechs the Eclipse had stored. It should give us an advantage," Jacob reported as he came up behind them.

"Good work, where's Zaeed?" Claire asked looking around. Suddenly, the bounty hunter came sliding across the street as a round ripped through a vorcha less than a foot way from him.

"Damn that bastard's good. I'll have to have a talk with him when we get there about trying to shoot me," Zaeed said standing up and brushing off his armor.

"The suns?" Claire asked. She hoped the group would be as easy to undermine as the other two but judging from the look on Zaeed's face, they had some work to do.

"The suns lost a lot of men in their first push to try and take out Arch Angel. The guy even shot down their damned gunship. Best I can tell, we get rid of the mechanic, no gunship. That's the best we can do," Zaeed explained.

"If that's what needs to be done," Claire said waving for the trio to follow her.

She approached the group of Blue Suns and stopped. "Cathka?" Claire asked. One of the mercs pointed back to the gunship and moved out of the way.

"Sargeant Cathka," came a growl from behind the gunship. A batarian stood up and set a welding tool down before lighting a cigarette and turning off the mirroring on his visor.

"We're here to check in. Where do you need us?" Claire asked. She watched the batartian move and relax leaning up against his work table.

"You'll be with the main assault force across the bridge. Your job is to distract Arch Angel long enough for our team to take him out. Once we get the signal from the insertion team…" as he spoke a console behind him started beeping an alert. He turned to face it and read through the message before activating his radio. "Assault team move, go!" Turning back to Claire and the others, he pointed then toward the bridge and ordered them gruffly to move. Claire suddenly noticed that Zaeed had moved behind the merc.

"You work too go'damn hard," Zaeed snarled. Suddenly the batarian shouted in pain as his body jolted and seized. Claire could hear the sound of electricity passing through the man's body as the cries silenced and the corpse crumpled to the ground.

"Was that necessary?"Miranda snapped.

"Yes," Claire answered. "As much as I wish it hadn't been. These mercs are some of the worst the galaxy has to offer. We need to thin the herd. Besides, I don't want the Blue Suns having a fully operational gunship," Claire said waving everyone toward the bridge.

"Arch Angel won't last long against this many people," Jacob said as the joined the charge.

"Like I said, we thin the herd," Claire answered. She had heard enough stories about these merc groups to not feel too guilty about killing them, but there was a part of her that did not want to kill anyone at all. Always had been that way for her. But this was a mission to save countless lives. If a few mercs had to die, then so be it.

As the team charged forward, Miranda and Jacob unleashed their biotics on the unsuspecting freelancers in front of them as Zaeed opened up with his assault rifle on the mercs behind them. Claire took the lead finishing off anyone that escaped from the biotic eruptions. Even with her biotic dampeners, she could feel the eruptions around her. Not just the vibrations of the concussive shockwaves, but the energy pulsing through space and through her.

"They have bombs, Shepard!" Miranda shouted. Claire could see the crews setting them. Leveling her rifle she slowed her step just enough to get a decent aim and fired a single round through the detonator causing the device to detonate before it was fully charged. The blast killed the crew setting it and cleared the way for Claire and her team into the base. A quick skirmish with a pair of mercs outside the upstairs perch Arch Angel was using cleared the building of mercs, though the continuing reports of a sniper rifle informed them that there were still plenty of targets on the bridge below.

Jacob hacked the door lock quickly and the team entered the room to see a turian in blue and black armor peering down a scope. The alien held up a finger telling them to wait before firing a final shot.

"Arch Angel?" Claire asked.

The turian stood faced them. Sitting down on the armrest of the couch, he prompted his rifle up against his leg and removed his helmet.

Claire felt her heart skip a beat as the blue paint across the alien's face and eye piece flooded her mind with memories.

"Claire? I thought you were…dead…" Arch Angel stated apparently just as awe struck as she was.

"Garrus?" That was all Claire could manage to say. Just his name. The man she had been wanting to see even more than her own brother, Anderson, or Mallory. "What…what're you doing here?"

Garrus cleared his throat. "Just keeping my skills sharp. You know; a little target practice."

 _Same old Garrus, smart ass charmer to the end. Damn it's good to see him._

000

The clinic was nothing more than an old run down warehouse that had been fortified and stocked with hospital supplies. Luke signaled for his team to stand down and wait for him in the waiting room before heading down the hallway. He could hear two voices discussing treatment options for a patient and followed the high pitched, fast-paced tone. Salarians always seemed to talk fast; part of the forty year life span most likely. Though this salarian seemed more hyper than the others he had met during his time with C-Sec and Claire.

As Luke turned the corner, he found himself in an examination room as a salarian poured over an operating table with a sick turian on it. "Professor Mordin Solus?" Luke asked.

The Salarian stopped in his tracks and approached him doing a quick scan of him. "Interesting. Human. Curious. Do not recognize you from area. To well armed to be refugee. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha. Crew to clean them out…unlikely, vorcha a symptom not a cause. The plague, investigating use as bio-weapon…no, no, too many guns. Not enough data equipment. Soldiers not scientist. Yes, yes. Hired gun. Looking for someone. Yes but who-"

"Take a breath and I'll tell you," Luke interrupted. "I'm Alpha Wolf of the Wolf Pack. I'm here under orders to recruit you for a critical mission. We need your help Professor." Luke watched as the scientist continued working, but there was a part of him that told Luke the salarian was listening and watching.

"Mission. What mission? No, no, no. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" Mordin asked checking over the turian on his operating table once more.

"The Wolf Pack is a commando team for an organization known as Cerberus, but for this mission we are under the direct command of Captain Claire Shepard," Luke explained.

"Cerberus? Not normally associated with non-humans," Mordin said shortly.

"You've heard of us?" Luke asked.

"Crossed paths on occasion. Have heard stories of the Wolf Pack. Impressive reputation," Mordin answered.

"And now were gunning for the Collectors. We need your help to take them down," Luke said quickly. If he took a breath he was not sure if he would get another word in.

"Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting the slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals maybe similar," Mordin said. Luke smirked hoping the doctor would be coming with him in a matter of seconds that thought appeared to be premature. "But must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them."

"I don't mind the work," Luke said patting the pistols in his holsters.

Suddenly, the air fans shut down with a loud whine and warning lights flashed around them.

" _Alpha, its Gamma. We're reading a shut down from the environmental control center. Someone's trying to kill the whole district,"_ Gamma reported over the radio.

"Gotcha, we're moving to intercept. Prep the team. We move in 2," Luke ordered.

"Must turn on air before whole district suffocates. Take plague cure. One more thing, Daniel, one of my assistants, went into Vorcha territory looking for victims. Hasn't come back," Mordin said handing Luke a vial of a reddish liquid.

"If he's out there I find him. You have my word," Luke answered slipping the vial into one of his leg pouches.

"Thank you. Told him not to go. Smart, bright future. Wanted to help," Mordin said looking down. Luke assumed the salarian felt guilty for letting his assistant leave on his own.

"I'll find him, but as I'm sure you know, the environmental control center needs to be the priority," Luke said turning to leave.

"Logical choice. Refreshing to see in humans. Good luck," the salarian said before returning to his work. Luke smirked. He liked the doctor. True he talked ninty-to-nothing but he could definitely handle himself. The weapon he had had on his belt was a Carnifex 6. It took very capable hands to not only maintain the weapon but to use it. The weapon had a small clip size due to the output in each shot meaning the user had to use their shots effectively. Projectiles from a Carnifex 6 hit with the same amount of force as a .50 caliber pistol from back when guns still used gun powder.

Luke headed back down the hall to collect his team. Kappa was helping a human bystander who had gotten hit in a crossfire between the warring gangs. All the rest were getting some rest. Theta was even taking a little nap on a waiting room bench.

"Rise and shine. The vorcha just shut down the environmental control center. The whole district is going to die if we don't get there and restart the systems. By my calculations, with the fires and surviving population. They have about three hours before they start having trouble breathing, four before they start passing out, and maybe six before they start dying. I want to be back here with the fans on in less than two hours. On top of that, we need to keep an eye out for the professor's assistant. Human named Daniel who tried helping the people in Vorcha territory. The kid vanished," Luke informed them as the team gathered around him.

"So save the assistant, save the district, and recruit the guy that's helping us to save the galaxy? Sounds easy enough for someone with a hero complex," Gamma stated.

"So you should be extremely comfortable with this mission," Luke stated patting his friend on the shoulder before heading toward the door.

"Was meaning you," Gamma shouted after him.

"Not me…no…I've got more of a… anti-hero complex," Luke said turning and looking back at the group while still moving backwards. Gamma shrugged and fell in with the rest of the team.

"Don't the people with the hero complexes get the girl?" Zeta asked. Sigma shook her head.

"No, actual heroes get the girl," she said patting him on the shoulder.

"That does explain about what happened with Lawson and Alpha," Delta said nudging Theta.

"I wouldn't bring that up again in earshot of Alpha. He might shoot you," Kappa whispered. Luke smirked and looked back at the team.

"She's right Delta," Luke shouted loud enough for the whole team to hear. They all chuckled as Delta glanced around and shook his head. "Alright, form up. Keep low and watch your corners. Usual cautions and deployment, and as always, don't die or I'm gonna be pissed. Move out."

000

Garrus couldn't believe his eyes. Claire… she was standing right there, right there in front of him. N7 on her chest and everything.

"You okay?" Claire asked.

Garrus shook his head. "For the most part. Killing mercs is hard work," Garrus answered. Claire smiled before turning to the three humans with her.

"Secure the lower floor and fortify our side of the bridge. Zaheed, stick up here and keep an eye on the bridge while Jacob and Miranda are below. I need to debrief Garrus," Claire ordered. The team moved immediately. She still had it, but where had she been? She obviously wasn't dead. Could her death have been an Alliance political move? He couldn't see any kind of political gain from her death. It could have been a Council play to down play the reapers.

"How'd you end up here? Last I remember, you were still attached to the Alliance as a freelance liaison," Claire said. Garrus' eyes narrowed.

"That was two years ago Shepard. You know, when you died," Garrus snarled. How could she leave him out of the loop? How could she let him think she was dead?

"I'm still getting use to all that time being missing," Claire stated rubbing the back of her neck.

"What do you mean?" Garrus asked crossing his arms. This better be one hell of an excuse for disappearing.

"Garrus, when I got spaced, I… I died. Luke found my body with a little help from Cerberus, then they rebuilt me. That woman you saw, Miranda, she was the project director." Claire sighed as she realized just how crazy she sounded. "Look I'll explain it more later. For now let's just get you out of here."

Garrus nodded. It wasn't a complete explanation, but it was enough for him to trust her. Though he was a little curious about her mentioning Cerberus.

" _Shepard, I thought you would like to know. The environmental controls in the slums where the Wolf Pack was deployed has been shut down. Would you like me to establish radio contact?"_ a synthesized voice asked over the radio.

"Negative EDI. Any communication could compromise their mission objectives. Let Alpha do his thing, I trust him," Claire responded.

"Who's EDI?" Garrus asked. He had a guess but it was so farfetched he didn't want to suggest it.

"It's a Cerberus AI installed on the SR-2," Claire said making her way over to the window overlooking the bridge. Garrus could see movement on the other side but no attempt to come across the bridge yet.

"Never thought you would let an AI anywhere near your ship, not after that Luna incident," Garrus stated lifting his sniper rifle and taking a look beyond the barricades.

"The ship was built before I was awake and Luke apparently didn't know about it in time to stop it," Claire answered. Garrus stopped and looked over at her.

"What could Luke do against Cerberus? He just helped get your body back right?" Garrus asked. Claire sighed and shook her head. What did she mean no? Was he still with her? Why didn't he get in contact when she came back? Was this why he stopped talking to him two years ago?

"He's been doing a little more than that. He's a Cerberus operative now," Claire said retrieving her own rifle and taking aim across the bridge. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but you trusted me before all this. Will you trust me now? At least to get you out of here?"

Garrus smirked and raised his rifle again. Seeing mechs coming over the barricade his mandibles flared. "I'll always trust you Claire. With the four of you here, we might actually have a shot of getting out of here in once piece," Garrus stated.

Claire rifle cracked off a round obliterating a mech's head. Garrus couldn't help but smile as the piece of scrap metal collapsed to the ground. She had not lost her touch with a rifle. If he couldn't trust anything or anyone else, he could trust her skill with a gun. She and her team were his best hope of escaping. He had unfinished business with an old friend that needed to be seen to.

000

Luke stood over the bodies of the batarians as smoke rose from the barrel of his pistol. It had not been much of a fight. The batarians had obviously not been soldiers and had never been in real combat before. Luke was simply too fast for them to react. Three shots, that was all it took.

Mordin's assistant slowly got to his feet and Luke loaded a fresh thermal clip into his pistol. The youth was obviously a pacifist. He did not even carry a knife in to this war torn area.

"You… You killed them," Daniel, the assistant, snapped as Luke holstered his pistol.

"As surely as they would have killed you," Luke said stepping back to the door and knocking twice. The doors opened and the rest of the Wolf Pack stepped inside.

"You could have reasoned with them," Daniel scolded.

"Like you tried to do? Face it kid. Disaster makes people stupid and violent. Those three were no different," Luke said giving some hand signals to his team.

"The professor is going to hear about this," the youth said storming out of the room.

Luke shook his head as he knelt beside one of his victims and searched him for valuables and ammo. Gamma came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "What do you think the professor is going to say about you killing these guys?" Gamma asked.

"From what I've heard and read about the doc, he's not against putting dangerous people in the ground. I'd say hostage takers with a taste for blood counts as dangerous. Now let's get to those environmental controls. Double time combat charge. Theta, you're on point with Delta. Gamma and I are behind them. Sigma you're in the middle. Kappa, Zeta bring up the rear," Luke ordered. Luke waited for the team to turn their backs and steped behind a book shelf to conceal himself. He hoped the dose would last long enough to get them to the environmental control room. Twisting the syringe into the injection port, Luke pushed down the plunger and took a deep breath as the J11 serum surged through his veins. Tossing the syringe aside, Luke formed up with the rest of the teamand sprinted out the door into the streets.

Around the first corner, they immediately came under fire from vorcha and krogan forces that appeared to be Blood Pack soldiers. Theta and Delta picked off the middle and long range opponents while Gamma and Luke shielded the team with biotics. Sigma hacked door locks to make sure they could keep moving while Zeta and Kappa picked off the short range enemies. It was a system they had perfected over the course of several missions meant to accomplish a mission with minimal casualties while inflicting the most damage on the enemy. So far, it seemed to be working.

Within two minutes, the team was at the doors to the environmental control room where Luke gave the order to hold position. The team split allowing Zeta to place a breaching charge on the door and Theta took cover with a level and clear line of sight into the room.

"When the charge goes off, I want Sigma and Kappa flanking left. Gamma, Delta, and Zeta flank right. I'm up the middle with Theta covering. Then I'll lay down some cover fire to cover your advance," Luke ordered. He looked around at the team. "This district is counting on us. We finish this no matter what it takes. We win, we've got a brilliant professor to help against the Collectors. We lose and this district suffocates and the collectors win." The team nodded their understanding. This mission was not just a recruitment mission anymore. This was a mission that they could be proud of; an assignment they would have done even without orders.

Zeta detonated the charge and blew the doors into the control room. Luke charged forward leading the team in wildly firing round after round from his paladins. He didn't care if he hit anything or not, he just wanted to give his team a little covering fire. Sliding down behind a exhaust vent for the fans, Luke glanced to either side as his team took cover and Theta joined him.

"Alright, Looks like the cure needs to be inserted in the central console and we can reboot the system from there," Luke said peaking over the top of the exhaust vent as the vorcha occupants opened fire on the Wolf Pack.

"Alpha, according to the schematics, we can reboot the system form the central console, but we'll have to restart the fans individually," Sigma informed him over their helmet to helmet channel.

"Sounds like a plan. Flanking teams get into position. Theta, cover me. I'm going for the central console," Luke ordered.

"You no come here! You work for Doctor! We shut down machine! Break things! Everyone choke and die, then Collectors make us strong!" a vorcha shouted.

"So what do the collectors want with Omega?" Luke shouted back. He doubted he'd get any actionable intelligence from these vorcha. They obviously had very little intelligence at all, but anything could help.

"Collectors want plague," the vorcha responded.

"Well I could have told you that," Gamma smarted off.

"End this parasite," Luke ordered. Theta leveled off her rifle and immediately put a bullet between the vorcha's eyes.

Luke could feel the serum starting to wear off. He had used too much energy getting the team to the doors and burned through the serum too fast. Of course it might have been his body getting use to the usual dose. He might have to up the amount to keep up his strength. For now he would have to act fast.

"Cover me!" Luke charged forward wrapping himself in layers of biotic barriers as bullets and rockets ricocheted off of him. As he ran, he hurled balls of biotic energy into the guards sending several over the sides of the walkways and falling to their deaths below. Within ten seconds, all the vorcha were either dead from rifle and pistol fire, thrown bioticly to their deaths below, or smashed into the floor with biotic slams and charges.

"Alright, Theta keep your eyes up and cover the flanking teams. Both sides move to the fans for reactivation. I'm inserting the cure now and reinitializing the system," Luke ordered.

"Moving," Detla reported.

Luke sighed as he input the reboot command in to the mainframe and inserted the cure in to the central output turbine. _So the Collectors manufactured the cure. Does that mean they have bigger plans than a few human colonies? What could they possibly want with so many humans?_ As possible scenarios played through his mind, his skin began to crawl thinking about everything from scientific test subjects to food. As unlikely as the food idea was, it still made him nervous. They had to find these aliens and shut them down. He would not let anymore colonies suffer the same fate as Freedom's Progress… or Mindoir.


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's the next chapter of Soldiers and Spies. Thank you to those that gave me reviews, blue and dickson. As always thanks to BlackBeltDancer for you constant help with hammering out plot ideas. Please enjoy, reviews are always welcome and make my day everytime. Thanks!**

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Claire stood panting over the corpse of the krogan Blood Pack leader, Garm. She had sparred with Wrex back on the SR-1 just to see how hard going toe to toe with a krogan would be and that match had nothing on this fight. The krogan regenerated faster than anything Claire had ever seen before.

"Finally. I've been after that ass hole for a while now. He was a tough one," Garrus said giving the corpse a solid kick. Claire was about to kick the alien herself to make sure it was dead.

"You fought him before?" Jacob asked loading a fresh thermal clip into his shotgun.

"Caught him alone and almost got him, but his gang showed up before I could finish him off," Garrus said checking his rifle. He had used it as a shield against the krogan's charge. Claire knew she'd be looking for cracks in the casing if it had been her.

"Two down, only the Blue Suns left. Should we try fighting our way out?" Miranda asked. Garrus peered through his scope across the bridge. Claire joined him taking a look herself.

"She's right. There aren't many mercs over there any more. We could fight our way out of here," Claire said. The Eclipse had been wiped out when they tried to deploy their heavy mechs and they turned on them. All Claire had to do was mop up. None of the mercs got close enough to cause any trouble for Miranda or Jacob. Now the Blood Pack was demolished after they tried to blow their way in through the lower levels. They made it closer than any others had ending with their leader dead at their feet after a grueling fight. The Suns would be the toughest, but with the amount of men they had lost already plus the gunship being down, they had a fighting chance.

"I think you're right," Garrus said. Just as he spoke, a massive explosion shook the compound as the first floor was breached by a full squad of Blue Suns Commandos. Miranda and Jacob sprinted to cover the stairs as Zaeed rained fire down on them. Claire kept a watchful eye across the bridge but the only movement she saw was a small contingent of guards making sure they could not escape. Garrus held his position on the top terrace picking off commandos as soon as he had the shot as Jacob and Miranda drove them back.

"How'd they get across without us seeing?" Garrus shouted.

"I don't know. Could they have gotten the gunship up and working?" Claire shouted.

Suddenly the machine appeared out the window. Tarrak, the Blue Suns commander, roared over the intercom before opening the machine guns up. Within the span of a second, Garrus' shields shattered under the hailstorm of bullets. Even Claire dove behind the couch to try and keep herself from taking too many hits.

"EDI, I need you to use whatever image you can find real time of that gunship and find me a weakness. I'm not talking about disabling it. We're putting him down…hard," Claire snapped as Jacob took a hit to his barriers that sent him to the floor.

" _The kinetic barrier was not repaired fully, Captain. Penetrating the cockpit canopy with a high velocity bullet would be the suggested path,"_ EDI stated. Claire glanced over the couch just in time to see the gunship launch a barrage of missiles.

"GET DOWN!" Claire screamed. The world seemed to slow down as the missiles passed mere inches from her face. Her eyes widened as she watched Garrus dove, trying desperately to get out of the way. Her heart nearly stopped when the explosion blocked Garrus from her sight and the radio echoed in the horrible, heart breaking sound of Garrus' two toned voice roaring in pain. As the flames disapated leaving only smoke, Claire almost took a breath of relief as she saw Garrus starting to stand less than a second before a second missile detonated less than a foot from him. the blast launched the turian into the column behind him. The collision spun him like a thrown playing card propelling him over the railing.

"GARRUS!" Claire screamed. She wanted to chase after him. To get down the stairs and make sure that stubborn ass was alright, but the batarian laughter emanating from the gunship speakers made her blood run hot with rage. Throwing down her rifle, Claire reached behind her and grabbed her grenade launcher.

"Good Riddance!" the batarian shouted form the cockpit.

"Die you son of a bitch!" Claire whispered to herself as she pulled the trigger over and over again firing six grenades in rapid succession. All of them collided with the cockpit mere milliseconds apart causing the canopy to shatter and the gunship to explode brilliantly.

"Captain, Garrus is alive but in bad shape," Miranda reported over the radio. Claire stowed the launcher on her back once more and retrieved her rifle as she sprinted for the stairs.

"How bad?" Claire shouted as she approached Miranda. The operative had Garrus on the couch and was applying medigel to an extensive wound that covered half his face and neck. "Oh…that bad…"

Suddenly, Garrus' eyes opened and he gasped for air. Claire immediately grabbed his hand while the other reached for his rifle.

 _This stubborn jerk! Always wanting to stay in the fight!_ Claire more mad at herself than Garrus though. She let him get hurt. She should have set a charge inside the gunship before the crossed the bridge rather than just kill the mechanic. Hundreds of decisions started flying through her head as she gripped Garrus' hand desperate not to let him slip from her grasp.

"Normandy, I need a med-evac now. It's Garrus, he's hurt!" Claire shouted into the radio.

" _This is Wolf Pack we're closer and we have Professor Solus. He can stabilize him til we can move him to the Normandy. ETA two minutes,"_ Luke responded _._

 _Thank god for you, Luke._ Claire almost said it out loud, but the last thing she needed to do right now was expose her brother as Alpha Wolf on an unencrypted channel. "Roger that. Make it one. Floor it."

000

Luke stood in the cargo bay was Mordin and Chawkwas rushed Garrus to the elevator. Thank God he told the construction crews to speed it up for the SR2. No more waiting in the elevator for two minutes when the emergency ladder system could get you there in 10 seconds. Claire kept pace with the team as they entered the elevator.

Luke found it a little funny that when the Wolf Pack had landed at Claire's position, Mordin had pretty much ignored Claire and immediately saw to his new patient. Claire seemed more grateful than put off.

"Coming Alpha?" Gamma asked.

"No, you go ahead. I'm just gonna sit down for a minute. I'm still a little tired from the mission," Luke answered stepping back and sitting down on the floor panel of the shuttle.

"Okay, I'll see you at chow," Gamma said waving as the team headed for the elevator. The team was waiting for it to come back down so as to not get in the way of Claire and the medical team.

"So how was your day?" Miranda asked leaning against the shuttle and crossing her arms.

"Apparently not as eventful as yours, three merc group?" Luke asked. He had seen all the different uniforms when the shuttle had made its approach.

"Your old partner seems to have a knack for pissing mercs off," Miranda responded.

"Runs in the C-Sec training," Luke stated opening his omni-tool. He needed to make her leave if he was going to get a status update to Anderson in time. News about Claire being on Omega with a Cerberus vessel was bound to hit the information channels soon, which meant Mal could find out soon too. Oh he was not looking forward to that.

"Does being evasive come with that too?" Miranda asked bring Luke out of his thoughts.

"Admit nothing, deny everything. First rule of undercover work and the most important. The second is don't get involved, the more you shine the easier you are to see through," Luke said. He had never been good about following the second rule. He found that the more he shined, the more people allowed him access. He quickly put the finishing touches on his mission report and filed it with Claire, Miranda, EDI, and saved a copy for himself.

"You coming?" Miranda asked motioning toward the elevator.

"I'll be up in a bit. The shuttle felt a little rocky on the ride over. I want to check out the stabilizers and run some simulations," Luke said standing and climbing into the shuttle.

"Alpha," Miranda started.

"I'm fine, Miss Lawson," Luke snapped as he opened the panel leading to the cockpit. Miranda shook her head and left.

 _Finally, I thought she'd never leave._ Luke thought patching into the extranet through the shuttle. He needed to get his mission report plus the extra he had made about Claire's mission to Anderson immediately. The fact that the Collectors had manufactured a plague that would kill everyone except humans was important information. AEIS would need to see it and help the Turian, Salarian, and Asari governments find a vaccine. The scanned sample of the plague and cure he included in his report should help immensely.

As he finished up, he closed his omni-tool and made his way upstairs to the armory. The team was already finishing up cleaning their weapons and armor when he got there. They seemed to have gotten use to him disappearing for a few minutes after missions. No one ever questioned him about where he was or what he was doing.

"Hey, I know that turian is an old friend of yours. If you want, I'll clean up and stow your gear for you," Gamma offered. He was already dressed in his off duty uniform just like the rest of the crew. His undercover job entailed working with the maintenance team taking care of the charging and refueling systems for the shuttles.

"I appreciate it," Luke said stripping his armor and tossing his weapons on the table.

"Hey, what's your position on the ship? All of us are normal crew except for Beta since he's on the ground team and overseeing the armory. We never heard what you do," Sigma asked as Luke slipped on his hoodie.

"I'm just Captain Shepard's brother, the mechanic in the shuttle bay," Luke answered as he sprinted out the door and back to the elevator. As much as he did want to see Garrus and make sure he was okay, making sure Claire was alright came first. She had just seen the man she cared about get nearly blown to pieces. That would leave anyone rattled.

As Luke entered the med bay, he saw Claire standing to the side chewing on her knuckle as the two doctors worked tirelessly on Garrus. Luke leaned against the wall looking down at his old partner. The last time he had seen him on a hospital cot was after a case Luke had been undercover on. His alias had been burned and the gang found out that he was not who he said he was. Luckily they didn't know who or what he was or he would have been dead in ten seconds. Garrus had led a tactical team into the den to rescue Luke and caught a shotgun blast in the side for his trouble. Luke felt just as bad then as Claire was probably feeling now.

"Claire, how is he?" Luke asked standing and putting his arm around her.

"Please, must focus. Give full report later. Presence is distracting," Mordin spouted off as he prepped some kind of synthetic gel.

"Right, come on Claire. Let's get some coffee," Luke said starting to guide her toward the door.

"I couldn't stop it," Claire whispered. "It happened too fast."

"No one could have. Garrus is going to be just fine. I promise," Luke said as the door closed behind them. He whistled at the crew in the mess area and signaled for them to leave. A few exchanged looks before getting up and disappearing.

"You said I had biotic abilities now, right?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, it's a side effect of the J-11 serum they used to revive you," Luke said sitting her down at a table. He jogged over to pour two cups of coffee trying to make sure not to leave her alone for too long.

"I need to learn how to use them. My biotics, they could come in handy. You did the same thing right?" Claire asked. Luke wet his lips before nodding. He had only wanted to protect Claire and Mal when he had bought his first amp and asked Liara to train him, but Claire was wanting these abilities because she felt weak. She needed to be sure she wanted them before he would agree to help train her.

"But I was dealing with a relatively weak biotic power that my amp enhanced. Your abilities could blow a hole in the hull. The amount of serum they had to use on you was staggering to say the least," Luke felt his body starting to yearn for another dose himself. He told himself that he was not in combat and he didn't need it, but that would only hold for so long. He needed another mission so he had an excuse.

"I don't care. I could have kept Garrus safe if I had been trained," Claire said accepting the coffee. Luke took a sip of his own and sat down across from her.

"I felt the same way after you died," Luke started. He hadn't meant to say it out loud but there it was, out in the open. Claire looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"I know you remember some of the accident, but after we got Joker to the pod and you got cut off, I tried to pull you to us with my biotics." Luke lowered his eyes and rotated the coffee mug on the table. "I forgot to turn on my amp… You died because I forgot to turn on my freaking amp." Luke looked up at his sister as tears started forming in his eyes.

"Luke, it's not your fault," Claire said reaching across the table.

"And Garrus isn't yours, but I know it's hard to see anything else when its fresh in your mind," Luke said sniffing and drying his eyes quickly. "If you want to learn biotics, I'll help train you. But make sure this is really what you want."

"I need control, Luke. I can't walk around in armor all the time because I can't control my new abilities. That's all I need is control," Claire stated. Damned if she wasn't the most level headed person Luke had ever known.

" _What are you orders Captain_?" Joker asked over the comm.

"We're heading out. There's nothing an Omega hospital could do that we can't do here," Claire said opening her omni-tool and the dossiers. "We'll keep recruiting. I've got two more dossiers to get through. Set a course for the Hourglass Nebula, Osun system," Claire ordered as reading off her omni-tool.

" _Roger that,_ " Joker responded.

"That's where purgatory is. You really want to get a convict for the team?" Luke asked.

"According to the dossier, this Jack person is the most powerful human biotic in existence. After seeing what you did to that mech on Freedom's Progress, I'd say having another biotic heavy hitter would be good," Claire said sipping on her coffee. Luke smirked. At least she wasn't so worried and focused on Garrus anymore. Give Claire a job to do and she's get it down. Keep her busy while a friend is hurt and they'll be better before she has time to feel bad.

"Can't argue with that," Luke said. "If you need me, I'll be in the shuttle bay attending to my duties."

Claire nodded as he got up and finished off his coffee. She probably wouldn't smile again until Garrus was up and moving, but at least she was still giving orders. If those ever stopped coming, God help them all.


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks so much to those of you that left me a review, they always encourage me to keep going even if I'm not really feeling the story. This next installment is a little bit of Mallory's story through ME2 plus some Claire/Garrus fluff. Please read and review. Reviews like I said are always welcome and appreciated. Hope you all enjoy.**

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Mallory sat down at her desk and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She had so much work she needed to catch up on. Another colony gone, but this time there was blood and mech parts everywhere. The odd part was that the blood belonged to quarians. Could the flotilla be responsible for the attacks? No way, all the other colonies were clean; no blood, no signs of fighting, nothing. Maybe she should reach out to Tali, see if she knew anything.

" _Commander, could you come to my quarters please?_ " the intercom sounded. The work would have to wait…again. The captain saying 'please' was never a good sign. In the two years she had served under him, a 'please' always meant an uncomfortable subject.

As she made her way through the ship, the marines and crew saluted crisply. The crew seemed to be warming up to her. No one had referred to her as 'the butcher' in months. She had led 10 combat missions and had not lost a man. Maybe she was finally putting that whole Torfan business behind her. She finally had the respect of her crew and marines.

As she entered the captain's cabin, her spine tingled seeing the display screens open all over the room. The captain must have been receiving reports from dozens of sources.

"Commander, I received a report from an intelligence asset in the Terminus with some strange news I think you need to be aware of," the captain said motioning to a chair. This definitely was not good. He never offered her a seat unless he was about to drop something heavy on her.

"Of course sir. What's going on?" she asked trying to stay professional.

"We got word that yesterday, someone spotted your sister on Omega," the captain said turning the display around so she could see it. Attached to the report was a photo of a dirty and rusted hallway with three people. The woman in the center Mallory could have sworn was Claire, but orange scars on her face let from for reasonable doubt. The other woman wore a Cerberus emblem on her chest which confused Mallory even more. If it was Claire, why would she be working with Cerberus? The last person she nearly screamed upon seeing. The red hair and knowing smirk, event he posture all announced one name in her head. Luke. There was no doubt it was him. There was no distortion in the holo, no signs of editing, nothing. Luke was there with a member of Cerberus. What the hell was going on?

"There's got to be some mistake. My sister's dead and my brother would never ally himself with Cerberus, sir," Mallory protested.

"I'm afraid that isn't all. The Wolf Pack was reported to be on Omega at the exact same time. They might have even been on the same ship," the captain said skipping to the next report showing the white Cerberus armor with those illusive symbols as they shot their way through some kind of neighborhood, killing mercs and gangsters was they moved.

"Sir, I know that it seems strange, but they're my family. We're triplets. If Claire was alive she would have contacted me," Mallory exclaimed. She understood why Luke wouldn't have reached out. He didn't care. He disappeared for 13 years before, but she and Claire were close. It didn't matter where they got stationed or what mission they were on, they let each other know they were okay.

"Facial recognition matched your brother 99.3%. It's him. Your sister was believed to be dead but we never recovered her body. With a 97.2% match, its close enough for us to say it's her. You brother's presence makes us almost positive. Even Councilor Anderson was convinced," the captain stated scrolling down and showing Anderson's statement at the bottom of the report.

"He confirmed it? I just…I can't believe that they'd ever work for Cerberus. Maybe their being forced?" Mallory knew the theory was hundred times less likely as the captain's about them working with Cerberus, but she had to hope.

"I'll pass along anymore reports I come across regarding your family, and if you hear from them, notify me immediately," the captain ordered. Mallory stood slowly and saluted. How was she supposed to process all this? Her sister was alive and with her brother working for Cerberus… it all seemed so farfetched. She'd have to dig into all the intel she could get her hands on. She had to find out the truth.

As Mallory made her way back to her quarters, a horrifying thought crossed her mind. They knew Cerberus was extremely active in the Terminus, could they have been behind the colonies disappearing? Maybe Kaidan would know.

000

Luke sat on the briefing table as Claire shook Mordin's hand and welcomed him to the Normandy. The salarian had obviously impressed her with his medical skill in treating Garrus. Dr. Chawkwas had praised his skills extensively once Garrus was stable and resting. Mordin had jumped into a fast pace spouting of thoughts on the device and toxin the Collectors were using when they had brought him in but Claire had cut him off before he turned blue from lack of oxygen.

"Going to need a lab," Mordin stated looking over at Luke.

"Jacob, show him where it is and let him get started. I don't want to be caught with our pants down if we run into Collectors," Luke stated.

"Agreed," Claire said. "We'll talk more later." Claire shook the salarain's hand again as Jacob showed him out the door.

"I like him," Luke stated as soon as the door closed.

"You would," Claire stated rubbing her forehead.

"Headache?"

"Yeah, we need to start training soon or I think my head will explode," Claire said massaging her temples.

"I'd Like a ticket for that show please…just not in the splash zone," Luke taunted.

"You are so gross," Claire exclaimed giving him a playful shove.

"In all seriousness, I'll train you in our down times and those early morning work outs you love so much," Luke said hopping off the table.

"Sounds good. So, where are you headed off too?" Claire asked starting to follow him.

"Wanted to check in on Garrus. Waking up on a Cerberus ship with a couple of familiar faces might ease the shock." Luke could see Claire's eyes sparkle slightly at the mention of Garrus. _Even after all this time…Wait, it's only been a few weeks for her at most. Of course she still has feelings for him._

"Probably the best idea," Claire said following Luke out the door and heading for the elevator. "So how was the mission?"

"Oh, the usual. Cataclysmic events that threatened the lives of hundreds of people, bad guys get wiped out, good guys win, and we come home. You know, normal stuff," Luke joked. Claire rolled her eyes as her brother punch the button to summon the elevator.

"I'll have to read the report. Sounds like you could write a book," Claire responded.

"Oh yeah, the wild excursions of a Shepard; we'd make millions," Luke said nudging his sister. Claire laughed as the pair of them climbed in.

"Seriously, how'd the mission go? I heard some of the chatter from your team. Apparently you impressed your biotic specialist with the amount of power you could use," Claire said leaning against the wall.

Luke rubbed his arm where the serum had been injected so many times. He'd become dependent on it, even when not on missions. He needed a dose every day or he started showing symptoms of withdrawal. Granted, the amount of biotic power he wielded was useful, but if something happened to his stash or he ran out…it would be debilitating to say the least. "That's what months of hard training will do…and a few extras and upgrades."

"Luke, what'd you do?" Claire asked.

 _Damn, she heard the hesitation. She knows I'm lying._ Luke sighed. He needed to cover himself and fast. Claire would never forgive him for using the serum. "I let Cerberus operate on me and put in an implant and fit new amps for me. They amplify my power several times over… but I kind of tinkered with it a little." He had to reveal something truthful if he was going to throw her off the serum trail.

"Was it stupid?" Claire asked as the doors opened.

"Maybe a little. I deactivated the inhibitor chip on my implants. It's supposed to keep my biotics from spiking so high that it cooks my brain, but it was weakening my abilities. I wouldn't have been able to stop that heavy on Freedom's Progress if the chip had been active," Luke informed her as they headed toward the medbay.

"You did what!?" a seond voice roared from behind them. Luke turned to see Miranda fuming. Fan-freaking-tastic. Miranda was the last person that needed to know his inhibitor was inactive. She might bring up the serum and the risk of using the two together.

"What's so bad about it? Luke seems to do alright without it," Claire said. Shocked would not even begin to cover how Luke felt. His sister was defending a decision that could get him killed. He completely expected Claire to Side with Miranda on the issue.

"Luke, could fry his brain just like he said, but it's more likely because of-" Miranda snapped, but Luke was not about to let her finish that sentence.

"I'm fine! You lost the right to try and control me when you tried to control Claire," Luke roared. The outburst caused every head in the mess hall to turn toward them as biotic energy surged from Luke's body. He took a slow breath and allowed his powers to calm down before turning and heading for the medbay again.

"What did you mean by that? She tried to control me?" Claire asked jogging to catch up with him.

"Miranda was the director of Project Lazarus and the overseer for everything that was done to bring you back. Ever acquisition, experiment, and operation had her signature on it before they proceeded. One procedure she tried to authorize was a control chip in your head to make sure you didn't do anything unpredictable," Luke explained.

"That must be why the two of you broke up," Claire added. Luke stopped just in front of the medbay door. How the hell could she possibly know that he and Miranda had been a couple, especially since it was for such a short time? "You two have the ex attitude toward each other. You know, the one sided break up where one still wants to be together and the other's to angry to give a damn."

"Why do I feel like I just got slammed?" Luke said crossing his arms.

"Because I'm pretty sure I just hit the nail on the head," Claire said patting Luke's shoulder and opening the door.

Garrus lay on the cot still and silent. Only the beeping of the monitors filled the air. Luke could smell the antiseptic in the air and the faint and fading smell of burnt flesh as his stomach turned. Mindoir… the smell of death. Shaking his head and focusing back on Garrus, Luke took a seat on the cot next to him as Claire perched herself on the side of Garrus' cot.

"Captain, it's good to see you," Dr. Chawkwas said shaking Claire's hand.

"Likewise doctor, how is he?" Claire answered looking down at Garrus.

"We've corrected with skin grafts and some cybernetics. The scars will be unavoidable but he should have full functionality," Chawkwas informed her.

"Thanks Doc," Luke said smiling up at her.

"You young man have not had you ship required physical, so I will need you to come with me," Chawkwas snapped folding her arms and glaring down at him.

"Sorry Mom, we're due at Purgatory any minute and I need to be ready to back Claire up if I need to. Maybe later," Luke said crossing his fingers behind his back.

"You're not getting out of this that easily," Chawkwas stated walking briskly around the cot and grabbing a firm hold of Luke's ear. Luke tried to pull away but there was no escape.

"Claire, a little help," Luke begged.

"Hey, I already had my physical," Claire stated placing her hand on Garrus's forehead and smiling.

"Et tu Claire, et tu," Luke hissed as Chawkwas dragged to the other side of the room.

"It's just a quick check to make sure you are healthy. Won't take too long," Chawkwas stated.

"Fine, just no blood," Luke said as Chawkwas opened her omni-tool.

"Much to my disappointment no needles needed and nothing invasive, I promise," Chawkwas said patting him gently on the shoulder.

Luke let out a sigh of relief. If Chawkwas had taken a sample of his blood, she'd know he was taking the serum and might tell Claire. On top of what he just told her about the inhibitor chip, she might kill him for risking his life. She would definitely kill him for getting back into the addictive drug again.

000

Claire missed this feeling. Touching her finger tips to the smooth plates on Garrus' head. Planting light kisses on his mandibles and feeling his strong warm arms wrap around her. Most of all, she had missed that two toned voice saying her name.

"Hey Claire."

"Garrus, thank God you're awake," Clarie exclaimed huggin him tightly.

"Won't be for much longer if you squeeze any harder," Garrus joked as Claire released him and sat up.

"You okay?"

"Feel like I just went ten rounds with a pack of krogan, but I've had worse," Garrus said turning and looking around the room. "How bad is it?"

"I'm sure I can find you a mirror somewhere," Claire said glancing around.

"Hell Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on there and no one will even know," Luke said stepping up to the other side of the bed. Claire smiled and Garrus chuckled.

"Damn it," Garrus growled wincing. "Don't make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is."

"The only problem I'm gonna have is remembering which side took the rocket," Luke said poking at Garrus' uninjured side.

"Just as well, everyone always looked past you and hit on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it," Garrus retorted. Luke chuckled and slipped his hands into his hoodie pockets, doing so caused the open front to reveal the Cerberus emblem on his chest.

"Cerberus? Spirits, it wasn't a dream," Garrus said sitting up slowly.

"Garrus, we can explain," Claire protested.

"Explain. Like where you've been? I mourned you Claire. I still do… and you. You knew she was alive and never let me know," Garrus snarled accusingly.

"Garrus, I told you that I'd explain didn't I? I promised," Claire said. She spoke softly. The last thing she wanted was for Garrus to start yelling and be in further pain.

"I'll go first," Luke stated. Claire and Garrus both turned to look at him. This was definitely new. Luke volunteering information even with her was rare. Maybe in the past two years he had developed more than just his biotic abilities and combat potential. "Claire was dead in every aspect of the word. Everything I told you at the funeral and ever report that reported Claire getting spaced was true. A few weeks after, an operative from Cerberus approached me and offered me a chance to bring Claire back. They convinced me to help mainly because they planned to use the same techniques that healed me as a kid." As Luke explained, Claire realized he wasn't just telling Garrus, he was adding more details for her too.

"Why not bring me in? I could have helped," Garrus asked. He seemed calmer now.

"Spectre training and it was Cerberus. Would you really have trusted them to stick to their word?" Luke asked.

"Fair enough," Garrus replied.

"Anyway, started digging and I found out that a private ship had salvaged and preserved Claire's body from Alchera and she was being held in a facility on Noveria," Luke paused causing Claire to raise an eyebrow. The idea of being on the same world where the rachni had been some sick science experiment for Cerberus made her stomach turn. "The facilty was controlled by the Shadow Broker."

"What?" the exclamation came out in unison from Claire and Garrus.

"I don't know what he planned to do with you, Claire. I swear, but I knew I couldn't let him. So I agreed to help Cerberus get your body and let them try to bring you back, in exchange, I'd work for them as an operative," Luke said lowering his gaze. Claire cocked her head to the side. He was hiding something else. Was it just the fact that he was Alpha Wolf he was trying to keep from Garrus? Or was it something else he was hiding from both of them.

"Spirits, Luke, you didn't," Garrus rubbing his forehead.

"He did, but he's not bad in a fight," Claire answered.

"They gave me new gear, training, and missions to support Claire's rebirth and the construction of the SR-2," Luke stated.

"And apparently a team," Garrus added. Claire glanced down at the turian and saw his mandibles hitch up in his usual smile causing Luke to chuckle as Garrus winced.

"I told them the name would give it away, but my identity is suppose to be secret. Even from the rest of the crew," Luke said smirking. Claire smiled. Garrus figured it out already. He knew Luke was at least a member of the Wolf Pack.

"Do you know?" Garrus asked looking up at Claire.

"First secret I got to know since waking up," Claire said smiling at Luke. Luke lowered his eyes again. There was something else he was keeping from her. What could it possibly be?

"Anyway, Claire woke up a few weeks ago and here we are," Luke finished.

"But there's more to it right. You're after someone or something or else you wouldn't still be with Cerberus," Garrus said. Claire nodded.

"We're after the collectors. You heard about the missing human colonists right?" Clarie asked. Garrus nodded. "The collectors are taking them. Cerberus thinks they're connected to the Reapers."

"Spirits," Garrus cursed with a sigh. "Well, you know I'm with you. I'm fit for duty whenever you need me. I heard some techs talking about the main gun having some bugs. I'd like to have a look."

Claire and Luke both laughed. "Same old Garrus, always calibrating something," Luke stated.

"There's always something to calibrate," Garrus argued.

 _"_ _Captain, we're approaching the Purgatory. ETA to docking, 35 minutes,"_ Joker reported over the intercom.

"Roger that Joker. Have Mordin meet me and Luke at the airlock," Claire ordered. "You do have another set of armor right?" Claire whispered so no one but Luke could hear.

"Of course, see you there," Luke said patting Garrus on the leg before jogging toward the elevator.

"We'll talk more when I get back," Claire said planting a kiss on the turian's forehead. "It's great to have you back," Claire added as she sprinted after Luke. She could feel her heart fluttering and her cheeks burning. Damn she'd missed Garrus.


	23. Chapter 23

**Here's the next installment of Soldiers and Spies. I decided to make a few changes the cannon version of this chatper. I would love to hear what you guys thought of it. Reviews always brighten my day. I am going to be trying to post more regularly, at least two to three times a month. We'll see how long that lasts... Anyway, thanks again for reading and as always enjoy!**

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Luke locked the black armor into place. He only used the armor when he had to make an appearance as Luke rather than Alpha so it was not suited for carrying everything he usually carried. That however did not stop him from slipping three syringes of serum into his leg pouch. He wasn't expecting too much trouble. They were only there to buy a prisoner and leave, but things never went as planned for him or Claire. With both of them there, they had double the chance of things going wrong.

Grabbing a tight-fitting recon hood, Luke slipped it over his head and locked it into place in the lock collar around his neck. The hood was every bit as functional as a helmet except Luke found it more comfortable considering her could scratch his nose through the tight weave fabric. It still protected him since the fabric hardened and solidify against anything faster than light pat on the cheek. He had had enough itchy noses while wearing a helmet that he started preferring the hoods.

He grabbed two paladins and checked the biotic amplifiers in his suit before heading toward the airlock. He could see Claire in her N7 armor and Mordin in a different suit that looked almost identical to the one he met him in except for a few obviously armored spots.

"Hey Claire, Mordin. Who's expecting trouble?" Luke asked gleefully raising his hand.

"Geez Luke don't sound so excited about it," Claire retorted.

"Prefer to avoid combat on station. Puncture in outer hull, problematic," Mordin added.

"Mordin, there's one thing you need to know about us Shepards. Nothing every goes perfectly according to plan, which is why I asked Alpha to have two of his guys stand guard at the airlock to keep anything from getting crazy," Luke said looking toward Claire. He hoped that she could pull of the deception.

"Good idea, but tell Alpha to hold them in the boarding tube, the last thing we need is a possible fire fight before we get to Jack," Claire stated waving for Mordin and Luke to follow. Luke quickly punched a message into his omni-tool asking Gamma and Delta to stand guard in the tube until they got back and sent it off. He didn't want to admit that he only thought of keeping guards at the airlock when they had started to leave.

As they approached the entrance to the main area of the prison ship, Luke spotted three mercs on guard duty. There was something about their stance that was off. The way they held their guns didn't match normal mercenaries, or at least not their normal demeanor anyway.

"Welcome to the Purgatory, Captain. Your package is being prepped. This is a high security vessel so you'll need to relinquish your weapons," the merc announced. Luke scoffed loudly.

"Not likely," Luke spat.

Suddenly Claire pulled her gun. Luke quickly followed suit as did Mordin. He wasn;t sure what Claire was up to but she was right to keep her weapons. Something was very off here. Every bone in his body and every memory from C-Sec training screamed at him telling him to shoot his way into the facility rather than play nice.

"I'll relinquish one bullet, where do you want it?" Claire asked.

"I don't know, Captain. I think you could spare two or three," Luke added.

"Everyone stand down," a turian ordered from behind the guards. Unlike the grunts in front of him, the alien wore no helmet. Obviously demonstrating his invulnerability. He must have been the guy in charge. "I'm Warden Kuril and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned to you on your way out. This is standard protocol."

"I'm not surrendering my gun," Claire snarled back.

Claire and the warden stared at each other for a long moment before the turian opened his omni-tool. Luke could see it was some kind message; he didn't like it.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I am not willing to allow anyone so well armed to enter our facility. Security is a top concern for us," the warden repeated.

"You're stalling, why?" Luke shouted turning his aim to Kuril.

" _Captain, we're seeing at least three squads of mercs closing in behind you. The Wolf Pack is prepping for combat as is Lawson and Vakarian,"_ Gamma announced over the radio. Luke clenched his jaw and stepped forward so he was between the merc guards and Claire.

"Luke…" Claire started.

"Just protecting my captain," Luke assured her. He knew she could see through the lie. He was getting into position for a biotic attack. "Mordin, you know that problematic statement?"

"Yes," the salarian responded.

"Brace yourself," Luke stated as biotic energy surged through him and he charged forward with a shockwave so large it hurled the guards into the walls killing them on impact and knocked the warden back into the cell block. The turian scrambled to his feet and screamed orders into his radio as two squads appeared in the hallway in front of them.

"Wolf Pack, board and secure the tube. Lawson, take Taylor and Garrus to secure the block entrance. Luke, Mordin, and I are heading in to get Jack," Claire ordered.

" _Roger that Shepard,"_ Miranda responded.

"Here's where the fun part starts," Luke added as he shot a merc in the head.

The corridors left little room to maneuver. The narrow walls provided almost no cover for the team as they advanced. Mordin's incineration grenades helped they still had a hard time getting through, there were just so many guards.

"EDI, hack into the records and find Jack. We need a route or we're fighting for nothing," Claire shouted.

" _Understood, Captain. Scanning now. Complete. I am sending a navigation point and a route to your omni-tool,"_ EDI responded.

"Okay, I'm not the biggest fan of an AI on the ship, but that was pretty damn impressive," Luke shouted as he used his biotics to smash a guard into the floor. Luke could feel the blood starting to stream from his nose and collecting against his recon hood as he hurled the corpse down the hallway crushing two more guards between the wall and their comrade's body. The hood, although comfortable, may not have been the best option with the nose bleed. If he bled too much it could block off his airway and he would only be able to breathe through his mouth.

"Hang a right. That will lead us to the cryo-holding control room," Claire ordered.

"Moving," Luke informed her as he leveled his pistol and rounded the corner. The hallway appeared to be empty as he moved forward, but it was too quiet for such a crucial choke point. Anyone trying to get to or away from cryo would have to use the hallway, unless they could walk through walls. Kuril should have stationed an entire platoon of guards here and Luke knew he hadn't killed that many mercenaries.

"Strange…leaving such a crucial point unguarded. Possibly an oversight?" Mordin asked coming up behind Luke.

"No, I'll bet their security is inside the lab," Claire said taking the lead.

As they approached the door, Luke could see why the guards inside was the better deployment. There was no cover in the hallway and the frame around the door was so small, not even Mordin could take cover behind it.

"Alright, we need to get low. Present the smallest target possible and pelt the room before the guards realize what's going on," Claire said kneeling and readying a grenade.

"If there's sensitive equipment in there, we might destroy it. Look, if I can hold a barrier long enough to move forward there might be some cover just inside," Luke said. _But if I'm going to hold a barrier up against an onslaught of bullets, I'm going to need another dose, just to keep my strength up._ Luke's hand gripped the syringe in his leg pouch.

"We'll do both. Hold the barrier while we shoot. We'll move forward slow after a flash breach. Mordin, get a charge ready. Luke, watch our six," Claire said taking out and prepping a flash bang grenade from her belt.

Luke sighed in relief and turned to face the other direction before plugging the syringe into his arm and dropping the plunger. The surge of power revamped not only his biotic energy but gave him a bit of a boost in simple overall physical energy. He tried not to enjoy the feeling too much, but it had become just as comfortable as his pillow and own bed.

"We're ready. Let's go to work," Claire said leveling her rifle as she lay prone on the floor. Mordin did the same and aimed his SMG. Luke took a slow breath and stretched his neck to either side allowing the serum a chance to take full effect before he brought up the barrier.

"Ready," Luke informed Claire.

"Go."

The door burst inward as the breaching charge knocked it down. Luke felt the kick from the charge against the barrier but it held even as the guards inside started firing at them. Claire used short controlled bursts from her rifle to whittle the guards' shields down before firing another round to put them down for good. Mordin, on the other hand, would fire continuously until the target was down, only stopping to reload. The fight lasted no longer than 10 or 15 seconds but Luke had a tough time tracking where the guards had been and which one of his teammates had put them down. Luke dropped the barrier and breathed a sigh of relief. He needed more conditioning on the barrier front. If he ever needed to hold a barrier for more than thirty or forty seconds, he wasn't sure he could do it, even with the serum.

"Luke, hack the controls. Find Jack and get her out," Claire ordered as she and Mordin secured the room.

Luke jogged forward and found the console riddled with bullet holes. He shook his head and opened his omni-tool. He would have to do a hard-line bypass going in through the consoles connection to the network rather than the console itself. Lower amount of security but useless if he didn't have the right operating system to pair with the programming.

"Claire, this is going to take me a minute. Your bullets got a little too friendly with the console. Gave it one hell of a bear hug," Luke said laying down on the floor and linking into the wires underneath.

"Take your time, not like we have anything else going on," Claire sassed signaling for Mordin to help her cover the door.

"Whine, whine, whine, cut me a slice of cheese while you're at it," Luke retorted. He could almost see the smile on Claire's face. Piece by piece, she was coming back.

Luke worked furiously to cross connect and patch into the system, but when he finally succeeded, he realized he was linked into the entire ship's network. Luke sat up and studied the data for a second, downloaded the ships full schematics, and isolated the cryo wing.

"Got it. Only one problem, I have to set off an environmental alarm and evacuation to get Jack out without the Warden's password. It would open every cell on this block. I guess I could try and crack it, but it could take up to an hour," Luke said bringing up the override program.

"Could EDI hack it faster?" Claire asked.

"It might take EDI twenty minutes, give or take, but its still too long," Luke argued.

"Recommend haste. Warden appears to be regrouping," Mordin said pointing to a security monitor on the wall. The screen showed a rather perturbed Warden Kuril yelling at a team of his guards and rallying more to him.

"If that is in this block, a riot would be some good cover," Luke said taking a closer look at the screen.

"You want to unleash a bunch of murders on them?" Claire asked.

"I was planning on shooting that ass hat myself, but this will work," Luke responded.

"Agree with Operative Shepard, Captain. Best chance of escape and freeing Jack," Mordin added looking back at the siblings.

Claire sighed and looked between the two of them, obviously fighting with herself over the decision. On one hand, they only had guards to deal with currently, but all their attention was on her and her crew. But, Claire had never been one to let murders out of cells. She'd much rather keep them locked away where they couldn't hurt anyone else.

"Fine, do it," Claire ordered. She then turn to the door and turned on her open radio frequency. "All Cerberus forces listen up. The prisoners are about to be released from their cells. Seal off the ship. All teams fall back to boarding tube and secure all entry and exit points to the Normandy. We only have room for one convict."

 _"_ _Roger that,"_ Joker answered

 _"_ _Understood Captain,"_ Mrianda responded

 _"_ _You got it,"_ Gamma replied.

Luke launched the override and listened as buzzers and alarms sounded all across the block. Security mechs activated and guards started to panic. Below them in the cryo chamber, three heavy mechs activated and turned to face the cryo cell as it rose up and revealed a young woman. Luke cocked his head to the side.

"That's Jack?" Luke asked. She didn't look like much. Tattooed from head to toe and wearing almost nothing. Luke felt like he needed to overt his eyes to give the girl some privacy.

"She's up against three heavies. Let's get down there," Claire said starting toward the door. But as they started to move, Luke felt something. A tingling sensation that was all too familiar but it had never been so strong before. He sprinted back to the window just in time to see Jack roar in anger and biotically punch her way through all three heavies like it was nothing.

"Holy crap!" Luke exclaimed.

"What?" Claire shouted from the stairway.

"She's loose! Go, we've got to catch up!" Luke shouted sprinting down the stairs and past Claire.

"What'd you mean catch up?" Claire shouted after him.

As they entered the lower cryo chamber, they found all three heavies scattered across the floor and a massive hole on the opposite wall.

"Impressive display, bit overdone though," Mordin remarked.

"We gonna stand around admitting her work or are we gonna catch up," Luke asked taking off through the hole. "She'll head for the docking tubes to try and escape."

"How can we get ahead of her?" Claire asked as she tried to keep up with him.

"You want the easy way, fast way, or fun way," Luke asked as he brought up the ship's schematics.

"Whichever way has the least possibility of us dying a horrible death and get us back to the ship before Jack dies trying to take it," Claire responded.

"Easy way then," Luke said. He stopped and lifted his hands allowing biotic energy to surge through him as he ripped the ceiling down in front of them creating a ramp to the next level. He sprinted up followed closely by Claire and Mordin. They found themselves in one of the elevated hallways overlooking the prison block that now resembled warzone more than a prison. Luke lead Claire and Mordin through the winding halls and past a couple doors before they came up on the entrance that they had started at. Jack was there already and using her biotics to rip the guards apart. Luke spotted a guard approaching in Jack's blind spot. In a split second Luke had drawn fired his pistol and slide to a stop and fired a second round through the guard that was in cover on Jack's left.

"What the hell do you want?" Jack snapped.

"Hello to you too," Luke said holstering his pistol. Placing his fingers against this ear to activate his radio, Luke called for the Normandy to lift its lock down while Claire approached Jack.

"I'm Captain Shepard and I want to give you ride off this hell hole," Claire answered. Luke smirked. Claire was using her discipline voice. Whenever he did something she didn't approve of he got a lecture in exactly this tone. He glanced back toward the entrance and noticed the warden sprinting toward them with two men.

"Claire, time to move!" Luke shouted. He would need to run interference if Jack was going to keep talking. He braced his feet and built up a biotic charge. Pulling his pistols and unleashed it and surged forward toward the guards. He fired a shot from each pistol and leaned in just in time to allow his shoulder to bury itself into the warden's armor and hurl him backward over ten yards. Both guards were dead from headshots originating from his pistols. Luke stepped over the corpses even as the memories of Mindoir started creeping back into his mind.

"This prison won't run without me," Kuril shouted trying to scramble to his feet. Luke placed his knee on the dented chest plate.

"Then I guess it's going down in flames," Luke whispered. He built up a massive biotic force around and behind his fist. The punch was more powerful them he intended but it did the job. Warden Kuril's head was nothing more than a flat mess pooling in an impression of Luke's fist in the floor.

As Luke approached the group at the boarding tube, he could see several eyes on him. "What? Did I get something on my face?" Luke asked faking to wipe his face.

"That was some brutal shit," Jack said smiling. "Damn sexy."

"So, are we giving you a ride or what?" Luke asked ignoring the second comment.

"We could definitely use another biotic heavy hitter," Claire added.

"I come on one condition," Jack snarled. Luke could tell she was playing her cards. She knew they needed her just as much as she needed them. She wanted some kind of payment up front. "I'll bet your ship has lost of Cerberus files right? I want to see them."

"I'll give you full access," Claire responded. Luke chuckled. Miranda was not going to like this one at all. She would want to push the organization of schedules and procedures on Jack. How he wanted to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Jack said turning and heading for the ship.

"This one should be interesting," Luke said falling in step beside Claire.

"What was that with the warden?" Claire asked.

"I'll show you the logs when we get back and get going. That bastard deserved a lot worse than what he got," Luke responded unlocking his recon hood and pulling it off. He had completely forgotten about the blood coating most of his face around his mouth and nose.

"Luke, what happened? What'd you do?" Claire asked stepping in front of him as the airlock doors closed behind him.

"Nothing, side effect of the biotics. I got them all the time when I was training and sometimes when I use my biotics too much," Luke answered.

"As in cooking you brain?" Claire snapped.

"Relax, Cap. I'm sure boy scout here can take a few nose bleeds. Who are you anyway?" Jack asked turning to face them as Claire took off her helmet.

"Luke. I'm old worry-wart captain here's brother," Luke said nudging his sister.

"Shit, you Cerberus too?" Jack asked.

 _If you only knew what a complicated question that was,_ Luke thought. Sure, officially he was part of Cerberus. Only two people knew his secret besides him and that was making life very difficult.

"Yeah," Luke answered shortly before heading into the ship and toward the armory.

"Luke, debrief in ten," Claire shouted after him. He gave her a wave in response. He needed to get into plain clothes and get some pain reliever for his head. Not to mention clean up, he looked like the zombies off of _Night of the Living Dead_.


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's the next chapter in the Soldiers and Spies saga. I am trying to stay from retelling the games while sticking to the basics of the canon story, such as in this chapter. I hope y'all like it. Please tell me what you think. Good or bad, reviews help and normally brighten my day. Thanks and enjoy!**

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Miranda stormed into the armory in fit of what looked like anger but might have been annoyance, they both looked pretty much the same to him. Luke tried to ignore her as he cleaned off his face. His nose was still bleeding but the flow had slowed enough that it would stop soon.

"This was your idea wasn't it?" Miranda snapped suddenly. Luke raised his eyebrows and lifted his hands.

"What're you talking about?" Luke asked wiping his face again before tossing the bloody rag in the bin for laundry.

"Giving Subject Zero full access to all Cerberus files on the Normandy," Miranda snapped again slamming her weapons down on the cleaning table. Luke smirked as he turned away from her. Claire really gave Jack access, just like she said she would.

"One, call her Jack. Two, Claire is in command. It's her call. Three, Jack asked and Claire said yes. I had nothing to do with it, so leave me the hell out of your bitch fits," Luke roared. One of the doors opened and Luke held up a hand. "Come back later." He glanced at the door and saw it was Gamma returning his gear and motioned for him to leave again. The commando did as he was ordered and took a step back.

"You are being extremely immature about all of this. I am trying to keep to protocol and protect Cerberus," Miranda argued after the door closed again.

"No, you are trying to protect Cerberus interests. There is a big difference. I understand and accept what Cerberus stands for. Humans do need the ability to stand alone and rely on themselves, but there're so many skeletons in the closet, I'm not sure where you keep the uniforms," Luke snapped back.

Suddenly the door opened again and Claire stormed in. "Cut the chatter! Miranda, I get you don't like my decision, but it's made. Deal with it. Luke, a screaming match does nothing to solve our problems, so stow it. We have two hours until the next mission and its all hands on deck. Clean and restock your gear. Meet in the briefing room in thirty," Claire ordered.

"Question," Luke said raising his hand.

"Oh geez, please don't be a smart ass," Claire said turing to face him.

"I just need to know which armor to wear," Luke said motioning to the white Cerberus armor then back to the black armor he was cleaning.

"Alpha, you will be leading your team," Claire said nodding toward the white armor. "Miranda, you will be accompanying him as his second in command."

Luke sighed. This was going to be interesting.

000

Luke sat on the edge of a rusted platform with his spotter scope out. Theta was prone next to him with her rifle loaded and ready to fire. Claire and her team would be landing soon and they would need the extra cover if they were going to fight through to where this Okeer was. According to the files, Okeer was a korgan with a mixture of Jack's morals and killer instinct with Mordin's intelligence and cold disregard. That combination made Luke a little uneasy about recruiting him, but he might have intel on the collectors which was worth the risk.

" _Inbound, ETA 30 seconds,"_ Claire reported over the radio.

"Roger that," Luke responded before switching to the Pack's signal. "Alright, let's make some noise."

The Wolf Pack lay in wait below him and on his order sprung into action. Usually he would have cut the power to any security measures he could get to but his mission was to take the heat off of Claire, meaning he needed to hog the lime light and keep the enemy focused on him and his team. The Pack members made it a point to be seen by the security cameras as they picked off smaller groups of the enemy mercenaries.

" _We should move closer to the target point so we can intervene if the captain needs help,"_ Miranda stated over the radio.

"Negative, We need to keep a safe distance so the enemy doesn't have time to return once Claire is in," Luke responded. "Besides, she won't need help."

Luke hoped he was right. It was little soon to be going out in the field with Jack. They had seen a little of her skills on the Purgatory but there was no telling how she would work with a team. Garrus of course was solid. Luke knew he'd never do anything to put Claire in harm's way, and Mordin was very skilled and a team player. The hope was the new girl would learn from the team and not rock the boat too much.

" _We've encountered a patrol and got some intel. Apparently, Okeer has been breeding an army of krogan and dumping the rejects down here for the mercs to kill. We are headed for the lab now. ETA to target, 15 minutes assuming minimal contact with the enemy,"_ Claire informed Luke.

"Roger that. We're doing our best to hog the spotlight here but we can't hold for more than 30 minutes. Make it quick Claire and don't get hung up, please," Luke answered. He spotted movement on the outskirts of their perimeter as a merc group tried to flank his team. "Theta, your 1:30 low. 600 meters. Wind at quarter value left to right. Call it five hostiles."

Theta turned slightly. "On target."

"Fire when ready," Luke ordered keeping his eyes on the enemy. Theta's rifle sounded off as Luke watched a merc's head explode about half a second later. "Hit."

Theta fired four more times in quick succession and every shot it its intended target. Luke smiled looking over at the sniper.

"What? I had them," Theta said. Luke couldn't tell but he assumed she glanced at him under the mirrored visor.

"Yeah and you sunk their battleship," Luke said signaling for her to relocate.

The pair climbed higher up the mount of scrap to another platform and Theta set up again ready to provide sniper cover. Luke set up next to her bringing up his spotter scope. He smirked seeing Claire's team moving through the yard with very little resistance, but that was about to change. Several squads of Blue Suns mercs were moving into position to ambush Cliare from the elevated ped-ways.

"Captain, we've got a visual on you and you are about to have company. Your eleven high on the catwalks. We can thin them out for you," Luke offered as Theta adjusted her aim.

" _Negative Alpha, I'm gonna let Jack have some fun,"_ Claire responded.

"Oh this I have to see," Luke said focusing the spotter scope again. Jack moved unlike anyone he had ever seen before. The fluidity of every motion and how her biotics seemed to come as little more than reaction to her was incredible. Not even Gamma was that capable. Luke could see why she made the list of recruits. He made a mental note to go and talk to Jack once they were back on the ship and maybe get some training from her. Of course that would be after he set up hacking lessons with Sigma to increase his skill set in that arena. He had a lot he wanted to learn and not much time to do it. At least they were subjects be genuinely enjoyed studying. Maybe when the whole save the galaxy thing was over, he could try out for some of the human bioti-ball teams. A sudden eruption of biotic energy brought him back out of his thoughts as Jack ripped the catwalks down and twisted them into rusty pretzels with the mercs caught in the middle.

"I'll give her this, she's bad ass," Theta said looking over at Luke. "She might even have you beat, Alpha."

"We both know Gamma could kick my butt if he tried, but I'm sure she could kill both of us without even trying," Luke said smirking before turning his attention back the mercs that were fighting his team below them.

" _Alpha, we've reached the lab. Withdraw to the evac point and board. Pick someone to ride with you to come meet us for extraction,"_ Claire ordered.

"Roger that. Wolf Pack, move to evac. Gamma, you're on shuttle two with me. Beta, take everyone else on shuttle one back to the Normandy," Luke ordered. He smirked under his visor thinking about how miffed Miranda was going to be with him since he put Jacob in charge instead of her. It really was too much fun to pick at her; he was almost enjoying himself.

000

Claire stood over Okeer as Mordin checked him for any signs of life, but Claire had seen her fair share of dead krogans and Okeer was gone. Looking up at the massive tube with the creature inside, Claire took a couple steps forward to examine it.

"Captain," Alpha shouted jogging into the lab with Gamma right behind him.

"Okeer's a no-go, but this guy could be useful. Okeer said he was pure krogan," Claire said knocking on the glass lightly with her knuckle.

"Well, decide what you want to do with it and quick. As soon as the Pack left, all enemy forces turned this way. We might have ten minutes," Alpha responded.

"Anyone else creeped out by old mirror master over here?" Jack asked walking over to Alpha and tapping on his visor.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Alpha snapped knocking her hand away.

"Jack, if we can buy you some time, do you think that the three of you could lift that thing with your biotics and load it into the shuttle?" Claire asked glancing out toward the platform. A long drop to the rusted metal ground below was there but there was not railing to hamper the loading.

"If these guys are as strong as your brother, maybe? Where the hell is he anyway?" Jack asked. Claire glanced over at Luke seeing him open his omni-tool and scan the tube.

"We can handle it. I'm more concerned about the shuttle. We'll have to get cozy if this thing is riding along," Luke stated. The device distorting his voice made him seem like a completely different person. There were times when Claire wasn't sure if Alpha even was Luke or not. He was completely different inside his Wolf Pack armor than he was in his uniform or black armor. It made her a little nervous to be honest.

"We'll handle it. Get to work," Claire ordered retrieving her sniper rifle. "Garrus, You and I are on over-watch. Mordin, set as many traps as you can from two layers down all the way up the ramps. Just spread them out. The last thing we need is a chain reaction."

"Impressive tactic. Will carry out," Mordin responded grabbing several canisters from the lab and heading down the ramps.

"As always, leading me straight in to hell," Garrus said snidely placing a fresh thermal clip in his rifle.

"I'm just glad to have you by my side," Claire responded.

"And I'm just dumb enough to walk right into hell with you," Garrus stated leveling his rifle ad he peered down from their perch. He fired once and judging from the smirk on his face, hit his target. "Just like old times."

The extraction went off without a hitch, although the flight back the Normandy was extremely tight, just like Luke had said it would be. Claire was sitting almost in Garrus' lap, not that she minded in the least. But the funniest couple was Jack and Luke. In his white Cerberus gear with Jack sitting with her legs across him and Gamma, Claire could see the discomfort even under their mirrored visors. Jack appeared more disgusted than anything to be so close to Cerberus commandos, which made it even funnier for some reason. She sincerely hoped that neither Gamma or Luke made a pass at her, even comically. Of course, Luke was Luke so she probably hoped in vain.

"So," Luke started.

 _Oh crap, here we go._

"Come here often?"

Garrus immediately started snickering along with Claire as Jack rolled her eyes lifted a hand. She biotically slammed Luke's head back into the wall of the shuttle and knocked him out cold.

"You're gonna carry him back to the armory right?" Gamma smarted off.

 _Oh geez, there's two of them. Two smart asses on the same team._ Claire waited for Jack's reaction. It was definitely unexpected.

Jack lifted her heel slightly and used her biotics lo launch it down into Gamma's crotch. Gamma howled and curled up in the fetal position groaning in pain.

"Okay, okay, I'll carry him," Gamma stated in an overdone, high-pitched voice. With that, Claire lost it, howling in laughter. She even noticed an almost amused smile cross Jack's face too.

"Trauma to groin could prove problematic," Mordin said obviously trying to contain his own laughter. "But use of so called slap stick, comical."

"Okay, alright, we've had our fun," Claire said raising her hands. "Jack, try to take it a little easier on them. I know their Cerberus, but they are on our side. We don't want them bent into pretzels."

"Whatever you say Shepard," Jack responded giving Gamma a gentle shove with her foot leaning him up against the tube that took up most of the shuttle.

Claire looked over the glass tube and examined the krogan inside. He did not look much like any other krogan she had met. His head plate was more a series of small plates rather than a solid one. He must have been a juvenile. _What the hell am I going to do with a teenage krogan? Wait, is he even considered born yet? Is his birthday when he was formed in the tube or when he's brought out? If he's brought out?_


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay so here is the next chapter. Thank all of you guys so much for the reviews and the comments. They always brighten up my day. It is such an encouragement to know that people are reading and enjoying the story. This next one has some familiar lines and holds closer to the game than some of my other chapters but there's still extras and some fun stuff here and there too. Please keep reading and reviewing. Enjoy!**

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Luke sat cross legged in the cargo bay looking up at the krogan and munching on an apple. The creature was powerful to say the least and the tube was an engineering masterpiece. It could jump cloning technologies decades ahead of what they had, or at least what the Alliance had. Luke had seen another project that had been using some of the same technology as Lazarus but under the name Project Mirror. Luke assumed it was connected to Lazarus until he saw chemicals associated with cloning. He had investigated and found that there were so many DNA donors that it put his suspicions to rest about the possibility of a Claire clone.

"What are you doing down here?" Claire asked entering the cargo bay. Luke turned to face her and took another bite of his apple.

"Thinking," he replied shortly. The word came out clear enough to understand but muffled by the mouthful of fruit.

"You're such a guy," Claire sitting down next to him and bumping him with her shoulder.

"Says the girl who slurps her coffee," Luke shot back.

"It was one time!" Claire exclaimed.

"Once is enough," Luke retorted. "So what are we going to do with him?"

"Everyone seems to have their own opinion. Miranda wants to send him to research. Jacob thinks he might be an asset but it's too risky to chance. Joker just laughed and made a stupid comment. What do you think?" Claire asked pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head on them.

"He's a krogan. I've had to fight several in my time, but we've fought beside them too. It's a tough call. Wrex was extremely valuable to the old team. I doubt this guy would be any different if we could get him on our side," Luke answered.

"You still didn't answer the question. What do you think we should do with him?" Claire repeated.

Luke sighed and took another bite of his apple, mulling over his thoughts as he chewed. "Let him out. If anyone can earn a krogan's respect, it's you. Besides, I always thought that your first kid would resemble a krogan," Luke answered. His joke was promptly answered with a jab to the ribs from Claire's elbow.

"What'd you mean? My first kid?" Claire said standing up.

"Well, in a sense, you're birthing him. Technically, that makes you his mother." Luke smirked and the look Claire gave the tube before she turned back to him. He knew what she was about to say and he already had a response. "Nope, I won't open it instead of you."

Claire closed her mouth again and sighed looking back at the tube. Luke could tell she was thinking again. He truly thought that the krogan could be useful to them if he could be trusted. But that was the main problem, there were so many 'if's and 'maybe's surrounding the krogan, it made the decision hard.

"Do I need to go get Garrus so you two can do this together?" Luke asked before making kissing sounds. Claire turned and kicked him playfully in the leg before approaching the tube.

"EDI, how's he doing in there?" Claire asked. Luke slowly got up and and finished his apple.

" _All readings show the specimen is a healthy, exquisite member of the krogan species. All his faculties are ready to full functionality,"_ EDI responded.

"Meaning that as soon as we open this thing up, he's going to be capable of ripping up in half," Luke said.

" _That is an accurate assumption,"_ EDI replied.

"Open the tube and let him out," Claire ordered.

 _"Cerberus protocols state-"_ EDI started.

"EDI, the captain gave you an order. If you disagree on a moral front, say so. Otherwise, do it," Luke snapped. To his surprise, there was a slight pause before the AI answered.

" _Very well, the controls and consequences are yours Captain,"_ EDI stated. Luke looked up at the speaker. EDI was passing the buck off to Claire to keep herself out of trouble with Cerberus high command and the Illusive Man. Could EDI actually be adapting and learning to be more human? Her interactions with Joker certainly suggested it. He'd have to keep a closer eye on her.

"Alright," Claire said opening her omni-tool and activating the release sequence.

Luke watched as the fluid inside drained and the glass shell opened. The krogan fell to his knees before and braced himself with his hands before coughing up more of the fluid. When his eyes opened, Luke spotted the crystal blue and it caught him off guards. He had never seen that eye color in a krogan. It certainly seemed unique.

Suddenly, the krogan's eyes sprung open and he charged forward slamming into Claire and pinning her to the wall. Luke sprung forward as well but the creature caught him around the throat and held him at a distance.

"Humans. Female and male," the krogan grumbled looking at each of them in turn. "Before you die I need a name."

"I'm Captain Claire Shepard and I don't take threats lightly," Claire snapped. Luke smirked as the krogan's attention turned to Claire completely and he slipped one of his paladins from his belt and took aim at the krogan's side.

"Not your name, mine."

The statement caught Luke completely off guard. He wanted a name? Luke had been joking about Claire birthing him and being his mother, but he never stopped to consider the fact that this was his first encounter with anyone or anything outside the tank.

"I'm trained. I know things, but the tank… Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hallow. Warlord, Legacy, Grunt…grunt was one of the last. It has no meaning… It'll do," the krogan grumbled.

"Grunt huh?" Luke asked.

"I am Grunt. Who is the leader here?"

"What does that matter?" Claire asked.

"If either of you are worthy of command, you will prove your strength and try to destroy me," Grunt growled. Luke raised his eyebrows and looked over at Claire.

"I'm in command here, but why would you want us to try and destroy you?" Claire asked.

"Want? It's not about wanting anything. I do what I was made to do…fight and determine the strongest. I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or enemies. Without a reason that is my own, any fight is as good as another," Grunt retorted.

"I get that. You'd fit in great here. We fight enemies that have not been defeated in 50,000 years. Want in?" Luke asked.

"What my brother is trying to say is that we have a strong ship and a strong crew…a strong clan. You would make us stronger," Claire added. Luke glanced over at her then back to Grunt. He was strong and cool. He'd be one hell of a fighter in any kind of combat.

"If you are weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you," Grunt responded.

"Our enemies are strong, there's no doubt about that," Claire replied.

"That's a bit of an understatement. We're facing a race that can kill or abduct anyone they choose because they are so strong. You want strong enemies, we got them in spades," Luke added.

"That is acceptable. I will fight for you," Grunt answered.

"I'm glad you saw reason," Luke stated nudging him in the stomach with his pistol.

"Offer one hand but arm the other, wise. You would be an honor to fight against," Grunt said before letting go of both of them.

"I'll keep that in mind," Luke answered.

Claire nodded and faced Grunt. "Make yourself comfortable, Grunt. We'll have something for you to shoot soon, I'm sure." Luke raised an eyebrow as Claire left.

"Hey, what does that mean? Do we have another location?" Luke asked.

"There's plenty to do and no matter what we do, we always end up fighting. It's a safe bet we have a battle in the near future," Claire answered as she turned into the engine room. Luke nodded and turned down the stairs as Claire continued on to talk with the mechanics, Ken and Gabby. They were a couple of skilled mechanics but behaved like a pair of toddlers. Well, ken did. Gabby always managed to keep him in line and on task.

"The hell are you doing down here?" Jack asked from her cot back by the tubes leading in and out of the mass effect core. The small area was usually used for storage but Jack had made it into her quarters.

"Just checking in on you. Heard you gave the Wolf Pack guys a hard time," Luke said. Thinking about her slamming his head into the wall made it start hurting again.

"Ass holes deserved it," Jack spat.

"What you doing?" Luke asked glancing down at the multiple data pads on the floor and on the cot.

"Finding out about me. Thank your sister for giving me these, okay?" Jack said. Luke nodded and sat down across from her scooping up one of the data pads.

"What are you looking for in these?" Luke asked skimming through the file.

"Something I can us. Cerberus is into some nasty things," Jack replied picking up another data pad.

"I get that Cerberus isn't everyone's favorite thing, but what's your history with them?" Luke asked. He had seen mention of Cerberus involvement in Jack's upbringing but the details were sketchy at best.

"They raised me in a research lab, but I escaped when I was a kid. Been running ever since. And they've been chasing me ever since," Jack responded. She reached for her gun and snapped the action closed. "But soon, I'll be chasing them."

"You seem pretty excited about that," Luke said tossing the data pad on Jack's cot and crossing his arms.

"I got to sleep with this under my pillow and every person I kill, I pretend it's the ass holes that did this to me," Jack said tapping the slide of her pistol with her trigger finger.

 _I know that feeling,_ Luke thought leaning back against the wall. Jack was definitely intense, maybe even bloodthirsty, but he knew that look in her eyes. He'd seen it in himself for years. The façade he put up for everyone else to see while he screamed inside. The longing for the friendship and contact he had seen others have but never trusting someone enough to allow them in.

"You know, this ship is a power house. Your sister ever think of going pirate? She could live like a king," Jake said holstering the pistol and coming a little closer.

"One thing you'll learn about Claire is she'll never abandon a mission. It's do or die with her, but the die doesn't really stick," Luke answered scratching his head.

"And you? You look like you could be the type," Jack said motioning to him from head to toe.

"Can't really see myself as a pirate, too much cowboy in me I guess," Luke said looking down at the floor.

"Seriously, shit, you Shepards are just boring as shit," Jack said sitting back down on her cot.

"Oh, we can be fun once you get to know us," Claire said from the stairs as she approached.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Luke asked facing his sister.

"We just got a mission. Horizon just went dark a couple minutes ago, just like the other colonies. Joker is plotting a course now. We'll be there in about three hours," Claire said looking around at the scattered data pads.

"What's special about this one?" Luke asked. He could tell she was not telling him something. She had that look, and he was getting that feeling in the pit of his stomach that only came when Claire was worried or scared.

"The Illusive Man says that Kaidan is on the planet as part of an Alliance outreach program, but I'm sure that he's there on some AEIS mission," Claire said crossing her arms. "If he gets taken, I don't know if Mal could survive it." Luke lowered his gaze. He assumed that as far as Mallory knew, Claire was dead and he was off grid and missing for nearly two years. She couldn't take loosing the man she loved on top of that.

"Who's the hell's Mal?" Jack asked.

"The third in the Shepard hat trick, and to be honest, the most boring of us," Luke responded.

"Why? Because she stayed with the Alliance after I died, obeys the law, or because she's not here?" Claire asked looking over at Luke.

"Because she always stuck to procedure and tried very hard to be you. Maybe even too hard, and she never would have agreed to come on this mission. Not in a million years," Luke answered.

"Damn, you mean there's three of you?" Jack exclaimed.

"We're an interesting bunch," Luke responded.

"Luke, I'm leaving Alpha on board and putting Gamma in charge of the Wolf Pack. We'll need someone like him here to defend the ship if the Collectors try boarding up," Claire started as she turned to head toward the stairs. "I'm putting you, Garrus, Jack, and Zaeed on team two. Grunt, Miranda, Mordin, and Jacob will be with me on team one. The Pack will provide cover both teams as we move in a three unit wedge.

"What about countermeasures for those bug things?" Luke asked.

"What bug things?" Jack asked.

"Seeker Swarms; bio-mechanical drones that paralyze humans so the Collectors can abduct them without a fight. Mordin says they are ready. He has not field tested them, but lab tests are done and they work," Claire answered as an assembly alarm sounded.

Claire stopped at the corridor leading to the elevator before jogging down the hall to Grunt's quarters.

"Come on big guy, no time for training sims. We'll have to see what you can do in a real fight," Claire said waving for the krogan to follow. Luke half expected the alien to rip the doors out with the amount of excitement he heard in his roar.

"Damn," Jack said stepping aside as the krogan and Claire ran past.

"Yeah, I think he has you beat on wanting to kill something," Luke said jogging after the pair followed closely by Jack.

000

Luke stood in the armory dressing in his black armor. There was a sense of urgency accompanying every movement. So much so he didn't even check to make sure no one was looking before he slipped several syringes of serum into his leg pouch. When dealing with Collectors, he knew he'd need the extra juice. Though thinking about the fire power he was going to need, Luke grabbed a grenade launcher and all the ammo for it he could carry as well as an M-300 Claymore shotgun. It was a little heavy, but it had the stopping power of a small tank, not to mention a wide shot spread. The two heavy weapons with his pair of paladins would do, he hoped.

He glanced over at Jack as she pulled on his shielded leather jacket. It looked good, a little loose for combat maybe, but better than nothing.

"Like it?" Luke asked grabbing a Sentry X-2 headset. The interactive targeting interface would help with finding weak points in the Collectors' armor to hit. The shield capacitor in this armor and the headset would be more than enough as long as he wasn't hit with anything too high caliber.

"It's work," Jack said dismissively.

"Just bring it back in one piece, okay?" Luke said taking one of the countermeasures Mordin had provided and clipping it into his suits environmental systems. He tossed one to Jack and she clipped it to the capacitor in the jacket.

"You're not going to have any trouble working with me out there right?" Luke asked.

"Don't get me killed, and don't get in my way, we'll be good," Jack said picking up an M-22 Eviserator and a Paladin; two weapons that really did fit her; raw, stopping power.

"Just like old times," Garrus said entering the armory and collecting his sniper rifle.

"Always calibrating something. Haven't you gotten the main gun up to snuff yet?" Luke asked tossing the turian a countermeasure.

"The main gun we have is crap next to this new one I've heard about. A Thanix Cannon. Unbelievable power and the Normandy has a large enough core to use it," Garrus said catching the countermeasure and clipping it into his suit.

"Claire approve it?" Luke asked slipping in a few extra thermal clips into his ammo belt.

"Haven't brought it up yet. I wanted to get as much information as I could. You know, make sure it's the right gun for the Normandy," Garrus said grabbing his helmet.

"Bull shit Vakarian, you just don't want Claire to know you want her to buy you a big ass gun to play with," Luke teased. Garrus laughed and collected an ammo pack for his weapons.

"Well there is that," Garrus stated.

"What's all the hubbub?" Zaeed asked stepping into the armory. We was already dressed in his old yellow merc armor with his rifle. All he needed was the countermeasure and ammo.

"Garrus wants to get a big, upgraded gun for the Normandy and is trying to find a way to tell the Captain without letting her realize that he just wants to play with it," Luke responded.

"Who bloody hell wouldn't? What kind?" Zaeed responded collecting his remaining gear.

"Case and point," Garrus stated. Luke laughed and glanced over at Jack. The interaction appeared to be uncomfortable for her. She was doubling that attitude of loner bad ass by staying quiet. She was doing anything she could to not get too attached to the team.

"Everyone strapped up?" Luke asked. The three nodded and headed for the door. Luke smirked and followed. Garrus was easy enough to work with, but Jack and Zaeed… They both had attitudes and grudges; just like he did with the batarians that took him from Mindoir and that bastard Saleon. He could see it in them. If they were distracted like this when they found the main Collector base or homeworld or whatever it ended up being, they'd get killed fast. Even Garrus had a different fire inside him now. What had happened to the galaxy that so many people were out for blood? Course, he was one to talk. He killed Saleon in cold blood and if he ever found those batarians that took him from his home and killed his parents, he'd kill them too, mercilessly.

" _Teams one and two, get to you shuttles. Wolf Pack prepare for deployment from landing bay,"_ Joker's voice announced of the speaker.

"Roger that Joker. Team two is in the elevator and will be ready for deployment in three," Luke reported.

" _This is Team one, we're loading up now. Ready for deployment in sixty seconds,"_ Miranda added.

"Geez, damn cheerleader," Jack grumbled.

Luke chuckled.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I think you've got her figured out," Luke responded smirking. "Cerberus cheerleader to the core."

"What about you?" Garrus asked.

"You know me better than to ask me that Garrus. You know what Cerberus did to me," Luke responded.

"So what the hell are you doing working for these bastards?" Garrus asked.

"I told you the deal I made with them. My service to bring Claire back, and I'm not about to bail on her," Luke answered.

"What'd Cerberus do to you?" Jack asked.

"That's a story for after a mission, not right before," Luke said as the elevator doors opened. "Alright, let's go squash some bugs!" Luke roared. The team shouted in agreement and followed in to the shuttle.

" _Hey Luke,"_ Claire called over the radio.

"What do you want?" Luke joked back.

" _We're comparing kill counts when we get back,"_ Claire responded.

"Twenty credits says I've got more," Luke answered.

" _You're on,"_ Claire replied.

"I'll take some of that. Ten on the captain," Zaeed added over the radio.

"I'll take that," Jack answered, "Don't you know biotics rock?"

 _"Jack, you know I'm a biotic too. Just not use to it and not trained yet,"_ Claire stated.

Luke smiled as Jack cussed up a storm and for the first time in a long time, Luke forgot that he was a spy and just became another member of the team. He liked that feeling.


	26. Chapter 26

**Here's part of the Horizon mission. I love this mission on the game, but I did want to change a few things. I always wanted to be able to take as many squad members as you wanted on missions especially if you have the shuttles. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Please let me know what you think and I will try to get the next chapter up soon. I promise. Once again, thank you so much for your reviews, they really brighten up my day. As always, enjoy.**

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The shuttles rattled as they cruised into the main colony. As Claire looked out the window, she could see the collector ship towering over the prefabs. The utter size of the ship concerned her. They could have an army of collectors inside and they would never know before having to fight them. She could see movement on the ground below them as seeker swarms and collectors searched for more of their prizes. The Collectors were already moving several pods with colonists back to the ship. They needed to land and fast.

"As soon as we are on the ground, we move. I don't want the Collectors getting away with anymore colonists," Claire announced Locking her helmet into position and flipping the safety off her rifle.

" _The Pack is ready for deployment, captain,"_ Gamma reported from the ship. Luke's commando's had started growing on her. The way they worked together was seamless and showed true loyalty to each other. It reminded her of her old marine unit on Elysium before the attack.

"Wait for teams one and two to secure the LZ. Deploy on lines. Joker, if anything goes wrong, pull the Normandy back and await instructions," Claire ordered.

" _You got it Captain,"_ Joker responded.

"Several non-human life signs moving toward drop zone. Believe we've been spotted," Mordin said pointing to several blips on the screen.

" _Confirmed. We've got contacts approaching our LZ. I suggest the Pack provide over watch while we land, then join us once we've secured the LZ,"_ Garrus added over the radio.

" _Negative. This is a delay tactic. They're slowing us down so they can keep loading the colonists. We need to hit the ground running. Shoot and scoot,"_ Luke argued.

"We do both. Teams one and two are to hit the ground with the Pack providing over watch. The ground teams will move at double time and engage the hostiles. We keep pushing through the colony until we can set up a defense line between the collectors and the colonists. Wolf Pack remain on the Normandy to provide aerial support," Claire ordered.

" _Captain, my readings indicate the colony has defense towers that are not online. These could be put to use against the collector ship,"_ EDI informed them.

"Then that's the plan. We get to the control unit for the defense towers, bring them on line, and hold until the ship is destroyed or the collectors leave. Keep an eye out for colonists. Secure them and keep the collectors from getting anymore," Claire ordered.

" _Touchdown in five…four…three…two…one…GO GO GO!"_ Luke announced over the radio. The doors opened only a fraction of a second later and Claire lead her team out.

The collectors held in cover, prepared for the landing party, opening fire on the teams. Claire could see a dozen or so of the aliens as shots ricocheted off the teams' shields and the shuttles. They would need help or they'd get pinned down.

"Come on Wolf Pack, bring the rain," Claire ordered as her team took cover behind some supply crates. The Normandy appeared over head with the Wolf Pack on the ramp to the cargo bay.

 _"_ _Pour it on!"_ Claire heard Gamma shout through the radio. The hail storm of bullets raged down on the collectors, quickly dispatched the squad in front of them. Those that were not killed stumbled from cover and were dealt with quickly by the ground teams. Claire leapt over the crates and led both ground teams forward.

"Shuttles return to Normandy. Joker stand by to provide support. Ground teams, shoot and scoot. No prisoners. Kill all these things," Claire ordered.

"Hell yeah! Heh heh heh," Grunt growled.

"Wouldn't take prisoners anyway," Jack responded stepping on one of the collector's corpses before putting an extra round through its head.

The two ground teams moved as one unit as they entered the main area of the colony. Several colonists stood motionless as a rather rank smelling cloud emanated from them. Claire stopped and allowed Mordin to examine the colonist as the rest of the teams took up a defensive perimeter allowing the salarian to work.

"All vitals appear to be normal. Increased heart rate, likely anxiety. Appears fully aware of surroundings. Field does not effect cognitive function," Mordin said running a few tests on the colonist and the field itself.

"English professor," Luke said turning and facing the doctor and his sister.

"He's saying the colonists are fully aware of everything that is going on. Every second," Miranda said looking over at Luke. He sighed and bit his lower lip.

"Luke?" Claire stepped closer to her brother. He was starting to get that blank look again. The same one he use to after a fire fight.

"I can't let this happen again," he whispered. "Mindoir, Tidal Harbor, Cape Shelter, Mearamo, Constantine, and Freedom's Progress. I can't let anyone else be taken."

Claire could see the anger roaring behind his sorrow. He needed focus, something to have in his sights so he wouldn't explode, but he also needed someone watching over him to keep him from going too far or hurting himself.

"We won't. Now, let that anger out. The collectors will be here any minute and I want corpses," Claire ordered. She watched Luke's eyes harden as his grip on his pistols tightened.

"Team two, on point," he shouted. Claire watched Garrus, Jack, and Zaeed follow him out before she waved her own team on and followed. Anger may not have been the best way to focus her brother, but it was far better than letting his memories paralyze him.

"Your brother, taking this personally," Mordin said scanning for other life signs.

"He's had some personal experience with things like this," Claire responded.

"The male Shepard looks mad. Good. People fight better that way," Grunt said. Claire glanced back at him.

"He always does," Claire responded. _Just recklessly._

000

"Contact!" Zaeed roared as he opened fire. Luke saw the collectors moving to cover. They were almost in a panic, looking at each other and firing wildly. It was as if they had not expected anyone to get past their interception force. They were scrambling, like a street gang defending their territory from a C-Sec raid. If they hit hard enough and fast enough, they could end this fight quickly.

"Garrus, long range cover. Zaeed keep on the pressure. Jack, you and me, we're gonna have some fun," Luke shouted back at his team. Claire was still a few paces behind them but was covering them as best they could. Though Luke didn't think they need them at the moment. With Jack and his combine biotic power, the collectors didn't stand a chance.

"Let's go!" Jack shouted biotic lifting one of the collectors into the air before slamming it down on an explosive canister. The explosion sent shards of metal in several directions killing another collector standing too close.

Luke used a biotic charge and crush one of the enemies between himself and a building before turning and unleashing a massive shockwave that sent several collectors flying. Jack launched her own shockwave and the two connected on top of the remaining collectors causing a biotic explosion that knocked them both to the ground while sending several hostiles flying in every direction.

Luke opened his eyes just in time to see a collector approaching him from his right. The alien had him in its sights. He was dead. A shot at point blank range from a collector rifle would not only rip through his shields, it would cut straight through him. Suddenly, a sniper round ripped through the aliens head and splattered it against the wall of the prefabs. Luke exhaled and sat up.

"Thanks Garrus," Luke said rubbing the back of his head before pulling his pistols back out.

"No problem," the turian said jogging toward him.

"Ballsy… not bad," Jack said dismissively as Garrus helped Luke up. Zaeed joined them put seemed preoccupied with something above them.

"Hey, I think there's something up there," Zaeed said pointing up a ramp toward an open door. Luke cocked his head to the side before signaling for them to follow him.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked as her team arrived on the scene.

"Checking something out," Luke responded.

"We're checking the dead for intel and supplies. Be back in two," Claire ordered before kneeling next to one of the corpses.

"Roger that," Luke answered.

The team moved up the ramp slowly as they passed another colonist frozen in the field.

"Luke, we've got to get to the control station for the defenses," Garrus argued.

"Look, at the very least this is a perch where we can get our bearings and see any problem spots up ahead. As much as I'm sure Jack would love to take on thousands of collectors on her own, I have my limits. I'd rather see an ambush before it's sprung," Luke said approaching the open door. He signaled for Zaeed to enter with him and clear the room before Garrus and Jack came in.

As he turned the corner, Luke spotted a young man…not even that, a teenager. He was in the middle of writing something on his holo-interface when he was stung by the seeker swarms. Luke examined it. It was home work. An english literature paper if he wasn't mistaken. Luke sighed and looked back to the teen.

"Mordin, have any ideas on how to deactivate these fields?" Luke asked kneeling in front of the boy. The youth's eyes begged for help. How he wanted to do something, let him know that he was completely safe and that his whole world had not just changed. But he knew better. They weren't safe, not yet, and the his world had changed. Who knew how many people died or were already taken from this colony?

" _Theories, hypothesizes, but not definitive answer. Believe fields will deactivate when collector ship is out of range,"_ Mordin responded. Luke shook his head.

"Don't worry kid, we're here to kill these things and keep you safe," Luke told the frozen teen. Almost instantly, the boy's eyes lit up. Luke smiled at him before standing and looking to Garrus. "What can you see?"

"The central plaza, there're a few obstacles but I think that's the command point for the defense towers. Lucky for us, no big open spaces without at least some cover before we get to the plaza; not so lucky for us, this place is crawling. I've got squads of collectors everywhere and seeker swarms in the air all over the place," Garrus said looking through his scope.

"Sounds like fun to me," Jack said cracking her knuckles.

Luke ran a quick scan out the window and laid it over a holographic model the Normandy had scanned in from above. With the new data, it gave him a 3 dimensional map of where they were and where they were trying to get to.

"Okay…EDI, can you link in any kind of hostile tracking program to my omni-tool?" Luke asked.

" _I am afraid I cannot. A base line code is needed to scan for hostiles. Without visual contact, I cannot track them,"_ EDI responded. Luke wet his lips and closed his omni-tool.

"What would you need in order to track the Collectors and show me where they were?" Luke asked.

" _I would need a stand of DNA and a complete biological scan,"_ EDI replied.

"I'll have it to you in a minute," Luke responded before looking to his team. "Let's move."

Claire met Luke and his team at the bottom of the ramp. She had apparently taken a liking to some kind of beam weapon she found on one of the collectors' bodies. Luke smirked before running a scan of the most undamaged collector corpse before scanning and taking a sample of the collector's blood.

"What's that for?" Claire asked.

"I want to build a program that will scan and rebuild a combat zone with hostile and friendly signatures that can be tracked. EDI should be able to compile the information and give us accurate locations of where the collectors are concentrated. It would make our job a lot easier especially if we can set up our own ambushes," Luke answered.

"Good idea, how long 'til it's up and running?" Claire asked.

"EDI?" Luke asked redirecting the question.

 _"_ _I am formulating and coding now. It should only be a few moments,"_ EDI responded.

 _"_ _Captain, I hate to rush you, but I'm getting some familiar readings from one of the assembly areas up ahead,"_ Joker informed them.

"What kind of familiar?" Claire asked looking over at Luke.

 _Shit, what could it be now? Collectors, seeker swarms, and now something else. If its pirates or geth, I'm gonna quit._ Luke ran his hand over his head looking around at the team.

" _Holy shit, if I'm reading this right, we got husks and they're closing in on you,"_ Joker reported.

"Weapons up. We move together. Biotics, keep pushing them away, they are really fast and rely almost completely on melee combat. They're also never alone," Claire ordered as a screeching howl reached their ears. The two teams merged and moved as a single unit up the street as the grayish-blue, humanoid creatures started appearing on the roof tops and crawling from under the prefabs.

"This doesn't make any sense. Where did these things come from? I didn't see any dragon's teeth here," Luke shouted shooting a husk between the eyes and throwing another into a wall with his biotics.

"If they weren't made here, the collectors must have brought them," Garrus shouted as he fired. Luke turned just in time to so see Claire drop another two enemies as they advanced.

"Then that proves it. The Geth got the dragon teeth from Sovereign. The Collectors have to be working with the reapers especially if they can control them like this, 'cause this is an organized ambush. There's no way these things came up with this on their own," Luke shouted switching to his shotgun and blowing the legs off three husks with one shot.

"Let's empty their supply," Claire ordered as she took a down another two husks with a quick spray of bullets.

Not ten seconds later, Collectors appeared reinforcing the dwindling husk numbers. Luke split off from the main group with Garrus close on his heels. No one else appeared to have noticed his exit as Luke sprinted toward a small alley with a pile of empty crates filling it from the ground to the prefab roofs.

"Where the hell are you going?" Garrus asked as Luke stowed his shotgun on his back and clambered up some of the crates.

"Higher ground. That's a kill zone down there. They need cover," Luke answered as he continued to climb. Luke smirked as he heard Garrus start climbing up after him.

"You know this is a suicide right?" Garrus asked.

"If so, I'll see you in hell," Luke shot back before pulling his pistols and firing wildly at the collectors like an old west cowboy. Garrus was at his back in a second with his assault rifle picking off longer range targets as they sprinted along the roof tops parallel with Claire and the others.

But a noise and sight unlike anything they had seen before stopped both Luke and the ground team short. One of the collectors in front of them had levitated off the ground and burst with orange energy that mimicked flames. Luke could have sworn he even heard a voice say something about control, but he wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it was a deep, metallic, resonating voice surged from the burning collector.

"We are you genetic destiny and the harbingers of your destruction, you will fail," the voice boomed. Luke clenched his jaw and pulled syringe from his leg pouch and injected himself. He needed the power for what he planned to do.

The team opened fire on the creature and eliminated several of its comrades, but the burning collector would not go down.

"Foolish creatures of blood and flesh, you stick one down and hundreds will rise. You cannot resist," the voice taunted.

"Watch me!" Luke roared leaping from the roof. While in mid-air, he launched into a biotic charge, connected to the collector, and knocked it to the ground. Luke stumbled backward a little before falling over himself. Hitting the collector with the charge was like running into a wall. Luke sprung to his feet and launched a warp straight into the beings chest before pulling his pistol and firing four shots into the creatures head. As the fours shot hit its target, the collector let out a low growl before turning to ash.

"Luke!" Claire shouted. Luke turned just in time to see another collector aiming at him. He tried to get a shot off, but the collector fired first. The shot hit its mark and Luke's shields shattered. The force of the blast knocked him backward tripping over a collector's body before ending up on the ground again. The collector started moving in to finish him off when Claire vaulted over the crate and jammed her tactical blade into one of the alien's eyes.

"Luke, you okay?" Claire asked turning and offering him her hand. Luke sat up slowly and touched his nose. No blood, but his head throbbed and threatened to explode. He clasped hands with his sister and allowed her to pull him to his feet. He winced as he reached back and touched his amp, the heat from the device was starting to burn the back of his neck. He might have to replace it soon if he kept using it like this. For the moment, he would have to wait a little while before using anymore biotic energy.

"Peachy," Luke said dusting off his armor and rubbing his forehead. "What was that? I could have sworn that was Sovereign's voice if we hadn't blown it up," Luke said looking between the team members.

"I've no idea. Maybe the Reapers are a little more involved with the collectors. Remember how Saren was possessed after we killed him? Maybe the Reaper leading the collectors can take over them at will," Claire said looking around the area trying to spot anymore hostiles.

"Captain, this is all fascinating speculation, but rather moot considering our current predicament," Miranda stated. Luke glanced over at her. He was about ready to tear into her.

"Shut up Cheerleader," Jack snapped heading toward a garage leading to the next area.

 _Damn, Jack beat me to it,_ Luke thought smiling.

"Who do you-" Miranda started, but Claire raised her hand to stop her.

"We need to keep moving. Luke your team is up front since Jack has volunteered to be on point," Claire ordered. Luke nodded and wet his lips before following Jack with Garrus and Zaeed.

"Damn bloody mess…imagine a fight between those two," Zaeed whispered to Luke.

"I doubt anyone would survive if those two fought it out," Luke responded.

"Be damn fun to watch," Zaeed added. Luke chuckled and shook his head trying to push his headache down and keep his mind on mission, though the image of Jack and Miranda fighting made that a little hard.

As the team entered the garage, Luke placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. There was something moving inside the structure. He could a slight shuffling that stopped almost instantly.

"What?" Jack asked. She sounded truly annoyed, but he would rather have her annoyed with him than walking into an ambush.

"Shhhh, there's something in here," Luke responded in a soft whisper. He pulled his pistol and moved slowly in front of the team. Claire stopped her team at the door and watched as Luke slowly advanced. Luke signaled for her to circle around and pointed to where he thought the sound was coming from.

"We're not here to hurt you," Claire shouted coming in and walking straight past Luke.

"Unless you're a collector," Luke added in a hushed tone.

From behind an industrial omni-gel converter, a scruffy looking man peaked out. He must have felt safe enough because he came the rest of the way out. He looked all kinds of shifty. The kind of guy C-Sec would have filed under the paranoid, conspiracy theorist column.

"You're… You're human. What are you doing here? You'll lead them right here," the man whined.

"Great, a completely worthless coward. Can I shoot him?" Grunt asked taking a step forward. Luke stepped in the krogan's way to stop him.

"Let Claire talk to him first, then we'll see," Luke said glancing back at his sister. She immediately gave him a scolding look before turning back to the colonist. Luke chuckled to himself before patting Grunt on the arm and heading to the back of the group to sit down up against the wall. Jacob joined him but before his friend sat down with him, he leaned in and whispered to him.

"Luke, Claire saw what you did. You know, before you took on that weird reaper-collector," Jacob said. Luke pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

 _Damn it, she saw me use the serum._ "Shit, what'd she ask?" Luke inquired as his friend squatted down in front of him.

"She wanted to know what you were taking, but I got the feeling she already knew," Jacob said turning and leaning back against the wall himself. "So, are you gonna tell me what that stuff is? I've seen you take it a couple of times on missions with the Pack."

Luke leaned his head back before reaching into his leg pouch and pulling out a syringe. Handing it to Jacob, he kept his eyes on the rest of the team. They seemed more interested in the conversation between the mechanic and Claire than what he and Jacob were talking about.

"Is this J-11 serum?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, I've been using it to enhance my abilities and boost my power on missions," Luke replied.

"How many do you take?" Jacob said getting back up so he was face to face with Luke.

"One a day on a slow week, maybe an additional two when on mission," Luke responded.

"Damn it, this stuff is addictive as hell. You know that. You shouldn't be taking any more than one a week and that includes missions if you take any at all," Jacob snapped but still keeping his voice low.

"I know," Luke snarled snatching the syringe away from him. "I got it under control."

"Yeah, so do red sand and hallex users," Jacob retorted before standing and rejoining the group.

Setting his head in his hands, Luke breathed slowly. He knew it was a problem, but without the serum his abilities would suffer…and so would he. Withdrawals from the serum were hell on him as a kid and that was with the earliest version. Going through that again after nearly two years of constant use would be ten times worse and lay him up for weeks. No, he needed to keep going even if no one understood but him. Besides, he wasn't hurting anyone.


	27. Chapter 27

**Here's the next chapter, we've got a little bit of new mixed in with the classic ME banter and action. I really hope everyone enjoys it. Please let me know what you think, reviews always make my day. I hope to be posting the next chapter in about a week, but don't quote me on that. Work always seems to get in the way of my best writing time. Enjoy!**

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The ground team surrounded the control panel as Garrus calibrated the defense towers. Luke had made a smart ass comment about Claire's choice to allow Garrus to do it, something about it not needing to be perfect and Garrus taking forever. EDI was working on the other end rebuilding the targeting matrix so the towers could fire accurately.

" _Captain, you have incoming. And if what we're seeing up here is any indicator, you're about to have a crappy day,"_ Joker reported.

"Roger that Joker. Be ready to come in. We might need the Wolf Pack to provide over watch," Claire ordered before stepping to Garrus' side. "How's it coming?"

"I don't know how the Alliance has anyone who can shoot straight. The towers need a complete over haul but give me ten more seconds and they'll be ready to fire," Garrus reported.

"Good," Claire replied. Her gaze shifted around to the team and fell on Luke as he scanned the sky for collectors. She had watched him inject something into his arm earlier, but she had no idea what. Or maybe she did and she didn't want to admit it.

"You've something besides this mission on your mind," Garrus said as he put the finishing touches on the calibrations.

"It's Luke. I think he might be doing some kind of drug again. You remember that serum they tested on him when he was 16?" Claire asked in a low tone.

"Yeah, it boosted biotic abilities," Garrus replied.

"It was also addictive, but they used a specialized version to bring me back from the dead. I think they might have gotten Luke hooked on the stuff again. Cerberus might even be using it to control him. Make him go on missions for them, that kind of thing," Claire said glancing over at Miranda and Jacob.

"Luke wouldn't do that. He had you destroy the serum when you found it at that Cerberus facility two years ago," Garrus answered.

"But that was two years and a trauma ago, and who knows what else he's been through since. Please, just keep an eye on him and see if you can find out what's going on. I'll talk to him later, but he might share something with you that he won't with me," Claire replied. Garrus' nodded before taking her hand and giving it a little reassuring squeeze. Claire smiled and relaxed. With Garrus there, what could possibly go wrong?

 _"_ _Captain Shepard, the defense towers are calibrated and online, but I will have to siphon power from the colony's main reactor. This power draw will not go unnoticed,"_ EDI reported.

"Bring 'em on!" Grunt roared.

"Power them up EDI and drop the Wolf Pack here to help us defend this position. I'd bet the collectors will send everyone they can spare to try and shut us down," Claire ordered.

" _Drop the puppies off at the play date, got it,"_ Joker responded.

Claire smirked as both Luke and Jacob looked back at her before shaking their heads and turning back to their sectors. Claire looked around for the best defensive positions but there weren't many good choices.

"Once the Pack is here, they'll take up position against the far wall using those crates for cover. Team one is with me right in the center. Find the biggest thing you can to hide behind. Team two, I want you on that walkway connecting those two prefabs," Claire ordered pointing to the positions in turn.

" _Got it,"_ Gamma responded over the radio.

"EDI, how long until the canons are ready to fire?" Luke asked.

" _Four minutes, 32 seconds,"_ EDI responded.

"Four minutes. Easy enough," Luke said pulling his second pistol and whistling so his team would follow him to their position. Claire watched him position his team. Garrus was back inside the prefabs with a wide field of fire and elevated position. Luke was in a well concealed position that also guarded the door to Garrus. Zaeed and Jack had taken position on the walkway itself using the solid guard rail as cover. Decent positioning; Luke was impressing her more and more with his ability to lead a team.

"INCOMING!" Jacob shouted as some kind of missile descended upon them detonating only a few yards from Claire's position. The blast kicked up massive clouds of dust and knocked her to the ground.

"Weapons free!" Claire ordered as she scrambled to her feet and slid into cover next to Grunt.

Collectors flew over the walls and landed in the plaza trying to overwhelm the defenders. Husks crawled out from under the prefabs and even climbed over the walls.

"Concentrate your fire on the collectors," Claire told Grunt as she fired a shot through a collector's head.

"Sounds like fun," Grunt growled before charging out and stampeding over two enemies and blowing away a third with his shotgun. Claire heard the familiar sound of the Normandy as repelling line dropped and the Wolf Pack entered the battle guns blazing. The crossfire decimated the collectors and husk forces and within a couple minutes, the fighting started to die down.

"That can't be it," Jack said standing up. Claire glanced over at the biotic before looking to the collector ship.

"Joker, EDI, how long on those guns?" Claire asked.

" _49 seconds, Captain,"_ EDI responded.

" _I can spit at them if you want,"_ Joker added.

" _Siliva would not be an effective weapon choice, Mr. Moreau,"_ EDI answered.

"Save that debate for later. Joker, as soon as those defense towers are online, join in the bombardment with the main gun," Claire ordered.

"Um…Claire…" Luke said standing up. Claire turned to him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking up at the collector ship with a look of what looked to be utter terror on his face.

"What?" Claire asked looking in the same direction. She saw it. Floating, or maybe flying, across the sky; something big and dark and obviously not something friendly. In tow were at least five squads of collectors with another one of the burning collectors leading the way.

As the threat approached, Claire could see it was not an ordinary enemy. The crab-like machine appeared to have a space filled with severed husk heads, all with glowing eyes staring at her and her team.

"Take it down!" Luke shouted firing at the machine. Claire raised her rifle and emptied the thermal clip into the enemy as Grunt hurled a grenade. Warps, grenades and bullets pelted the machine but it would not go down. The collectors were ripped apart easily enough, but the machine would not submit.

"Don't let up!" Claire hollered to the teams.

Suddenly, the machine levitated up to about ten feet of the ground before slamming itself down to the ground creating a massive biotic shockwave that knocked most of the team back and shattered their shields. Claire winced and looked up only to see the machine coming toward her. Scrambling to get to her rifle, Claire crawled on all fours to collect her weapon before turning over with her back against a crate. Raising her rifle, she pulled the trigger pelting the beast with bullets, but it continued to advance.

"Back off!" Luke roared as he came flying over the crates. He launched a massive biotic warp into what appeared to be the creatures face, joined almost immediately by warps from Jack, Jacob, and Miranda. The four biotics continued pummeling the machine with their biotics as the everyone else continued to pour bullets by the bucket into it. Claire regained her feet and joined the fight, but quickly noticed something about the metallic monster. It appeared to have eyes of its own, not just the decapitated husk heads. Two small bright purple eyes that fired beams at the teams.

"Situation problematic," Mordin shouted as he reloaded his SMG.

"Luke, what if we clogged its weapons. Like in those old cartoons, you know? Cork in the barrel, gun blows up? What if we clog this thing's guns?" Claire asked as she switched to her grenade launcher.

"Great idea! Let me get my big ass wine cork outta my pocket," Luke shouted sarcastically.

"I mean jam something in its eyes," Claire snapped. Luke turned to glance at her before looking up at the creature. Claire could see the wheels turning in his mind as he told the other biotics to keep it up and waving for Gamma to take his place in the line. He grabbed his grenade launcher from his back and held out his hand, obviously wanting hers.

"What are you…" Claire started.

"No time to explain. Give it," Luke said snatching the weapon away from her. He climbed up the crates and let out a sharp whistle. As their opponent looked up, Luke launched himself into a biotic charge straight at the machine. He connected and jammed the barrels of the grenade launchers into its eyes. Claire was about to cry for joy when the machine fired beams from its eyes that incinerated the grenade launchers and caused a massive explosion that flung Luke across the plaza and through a crate.

"Biotics, turn those legs into its eyes! Do it now while it disoriented!" Claire roared.

The squad answered lifting the front legs of the creature off the ground and jamming the pointed appendages into the eye slots. The machine reared back like a horse before crumpling to the ground. As it did, the defense towers began to fire and the Normandy swooped in firing its main gun at the collector ship.

"Luke?" Claire asked as the machine settled in a heap. No answer. She looked over toward the crate as Mordin jogged toward it, joined quickly by Garrus. "Luke? Damn it, can you hear me?" she screamed.

"Loud enough to wake the dead," Luke responded with a grown as he crawled out of the crate. Garrus laughed and offered him his hand as Mordin did the same. Luke chuckled and accepted both aliens' help in returning to his feet as the defense towers continued to pelt the enemy ship. The Normandy swooped down over them firing its main gun before peeling off and coming around for another attack.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to watch the ship as the lower section rotated and appeared to lock into position. She could see the ship preparing to fire its main engines.

"Joker, get some distance. The Collectors are about to take off," Claire ordered.

"What are you talking about? If Joker can hit the engine, we might be able to end this right now," Luke shouted as he winced and held his side.

" _I'm with Luke on this one, Captain,"_ Joker added over the radio.

"We don't have the man power to take on the entire collector ship, and if we destroy the ship, it would destroy the colony. Let them go… for now," Claire ordered. She watched the Collector ship rise as the wind careened over the walls and kicked up a massive dust storm. Claire raised her hand to protect her eyes from debris waited for the wind to calm.

As the dust settled, Claire could see the ship continuing to rise into the atmosphere leaving a trail of white smoke behind. She sighed wondering just how many colonists the collectors got away with.

"Anyone have eyes on the colonists? Are those fields wearing off?" Claire asked turning back to the team.

"Actually, I saw some of the colonists moving on the way here. I think the collectors had to devote their power to their shields instead of those fields," Gamma answered as Kappa nursed a wound to his arm.

"You okay?" Claire asked motioning to the injury.

"Just a scratch Captain. I'll be fine in no time," Gamma responded.

"Good to hear, get your team squared away and call for the shuttles. It'll be crowded, but we should all fit," Claire stated nodding to Gamma. The commando saluted with his good arm. Claire smiled and turned away trying not to look to curious.

 _The way he saluted, that is a marine salute._ All military personnel had a distinctive salute. Marines could be picked out of a crowd of Navy crewmen any day. Gamma was definitely a former Alliance biotic and marine. To her, that meant she could trust his skill, but his motivation and loyalty was different. He seemed loyal enough to Luke, but if he was willing to leave the Alliance, could he be truly trusted.

Claire shook her head. Now was not the time to think about her soldiers' loyalty. First, she needed to check their wounded. Luke was the most serious injury, but Miranda had been clipped by a collector round in the side as well as Grunt taking a piece a scrap metal in the back. The krogan healed fast enough that he would not even need to get checked out by Chawkwas, but Miranda and Luke would need to be seen and benched until they healed. Everyone else had minor bumps and bruises, nothing serious enough to bother Chawkwas over.

"Where's everybody?" the mechanic, Delan, asked jogging into the courtyard and looking up at the smoke trail. "Half the colony's in there. They took Egan and Sten and Lillith, you've got to do something."

"Oh, right. I completely forgot that was what we were doing here," Luke smarted off as Mordin scanned his side. Jack pulled his arm over her shoulder to help him walk as Luke winced at the motion.

"We did everything we could. I'm sorry Delan," Claire said as Garrus joined her. Zaeed stepped up as well. The rest of the crew was gathering up any information they could get their hands on and a few of the collectors' bodies for Mordin to study.

"No one could have done more, Shepard," Garrus said placing his hand on her shoulder. Claire smiled and sighed looking down at the ground. It might have been true but that did not make her feel better.

"Shepard? I know that name… Yeah, you're some big Alliance hero right?" Delan snarled accusingly.

"Captain Claire Shepard, Commander of the Normandy, First Human Spectre, and the Savior of the Citadel," someone said emerging from behind a crate. Claire looked up and froze as her eyes went wide. "You're in the presence of a legend, Delan, and a ghost."

"Commander Kaidan Alenko, long time," Luke shouted raising his hand in greetings. Claire could see the way Kaidan's eyes were scanning the area and how they fell on the members of the Wolf Pack as they worked. She could see the hatred the marine had for the team, but there seemed to be some fear behind it too. Then his eyes came to rest on her and Luke as Jack helped him to Claire's side before jogging off. Luke took a seat on one of the crates and placed his hand over his side.

"This should be interesting," Garrus said crossing his arms.

Kaidan made his approach slowly, like he was afraid of what he was seeing. Claire, however, was more afraid of what his presence would mean. Calling Mallory was going to be his first move as soon as the colony's comms were working again. That made her a little nervous. What would Mal say? More importantly, how would she react? She was so hostile toward Luke for leaving for so long and the last thing Claire wanted was for her sister to hate her for being gone too.

"It's good to see you, Claire. We all thought you were gone," Kaidan said offering his hand. Claire wet her lips and shook it trying to gather her thoughts.

"It's been too long Kaidan, how've you been?" Claire said smiling, but the smile vanished upon seeing Kaidan's expression change.

"That's it? After all this time… Mallory was a mess. Do you have any idea what she went through with you dead and Luke gone again?" Kaidan turned to look at Luke accusingly as he spoke.

"Hey asshole, I was gone getting my sister back. What did you and Mal do? Advance your own careers? Get promotions? Play spy games? I helped bring my sister back from the dead," Luke snapped. Claire patted her brother on the leg to quiet him. Luke nodded wincing again and lowering her head trying to block out some of the pain.

"I would have contacted Mal and you, but I spent the past two years in some kind of comma while Cerberus rebuilt me," Claire said.

Kaidan's eyes widened slightly as he took a step back. The look of disgust and horror on his face made her cringe. She had never had a marine look at her like that and definitely not a former teammate and comrade.

"You're both with Cerberus now. Garrus too… I can't believe the reports were right. I thought you might have been spying for us, planning to take them down, but you're working with them aren't you!" Kaidan exclaimed as he shook his head.

"Reports? You already knew?" Garrus asked looking over at Luke.

Luke sighed and pressed his palm to his forehead. "Damn it, the surveillance on Omega. AEIS has agents and sources everywhere, they must have seen us there. Kaidan was transferred to AEIS command before we left on that last mission," Luke said closing his eyes again. Claire did the same trying block out the memories of the attack over Alchera.

Claire nodded before turning back to Kaidan. "Did the reports happen to mention that I was fighting the collectors?" Claire asked.

"All they would tell me is you were seen with Cerberus. I had my doubts but when I saw Luke next to you… I don't know. It was still hard to believe." Kaidan's attention turned immediately to Luke. "And you, how long did it take them to recruit you? Or did you just volunteer to betray the Alliance?"

Luke moved so fast Claire was surprised he didn't injury himself more. In a split second, Luke was off the crate and holding Kaidan's neckline as if he was about to pummel him. "What would you do if your family died and it was your fault, then someone offered you a chance to bring them back? Tell me! What was I supposed to do?" Luke roared as biotic energy surged from him before his knees buckled and he collapsed. Kaidan caught him, looking more annoyed than anything. Garrus jogged forward and picked Luke up. That last jolt of energy appeared to have been the last Luke had. He was out cold. Garrus carried him back over to the crate and waved to the Wolf Pack for a stretcher.

"Look, I get it. You're still fighting, but you know all the crap Cerberus has done. Maybe you think you owe them or something for saving you, or maybe your right and Cerberus isn't the bad guy here. I'm still not convinced. Cerberus could be working with the Collectors," Kaidan said.

"Damn it Kaidan, you're so focused on Cerberus you can't see the real threat!" Garrus snarled.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I know where my allegiance lies. I'm an Alliance marine," Kaidan stated proudly, maybe even a bit judgingly.

"Mal is lucky to have you. Keep her safe for me. This mission is probably not going to end well for me or Luke. Going after the Collectors is a suicide mission and we all know it," Claire responded motioning to the entire ground team behind her. She sighed before turning to help Garrus lift Luke onto a stretcher bore by Kappa and Delta.

"Good luck, captain," Kaidan said in a hushed tone before heading off toward a group of scared colonists.

Claire shook her head and looked down at Luke. She needed to get this conversation out of her head. There was still work to do. Luke was in pretty bad shape. Mordin explained he had at least two broken ribs and a torn muscle in his back, but with bed rest and proper medical procedures, he might be back on his feet in a week. That, however, did not help with Luke's other problem. Claire searched his pockets and found a syringe with blue liquid. It looked to be identical to the one she saw him inject himself with earlier. She could have sworn it was the J-11 serum that Luke had asked her to destroy all that time ago, but she wasn't sure. Surely, Miranda would know. She had to be the one supplying him after all.

"Miranda! Come here," Claire shouted as Kappa and Delta carried Luke to the shuttle. The Wolf Pack, Luke, and Zaeed loaded up on the first shuttle as Miranda approached Claire. "What is this?" Claire tossed the syringe to Miranda and crossed her arms waiting for an answer.

"I'd say this is J-11 serum. Not the same as what we gave you to regenerate your body, but the formula we give some biotic operatives to help increase their abilities," Miranda explained handing it back to her.

"What the hell is Luke doing with it?" Claire snapped snatching the syringe back.

"He has a dose he is suppose to be taking every two weeks until his abilities can stabilize at their new increased intensity," Miranda explained. "That's why I was upset about him deactivating his inhibitor chip. With the serum and his new implants, it's very possible for him to overheat his amp and implants, cooking his brain."

"Then why would he take any out in the field? Especially two doses," Claire asked. This was raising more questions than answers. She sighed and looked around for Jacob. If anyone knew what he was up to, it would be his second in command. She spotted him helping Grunt take collector bodies to the shuttle.

"Jacob," Claire shouted. The commando immediately stood and jogged over to her.

"Yes ma'am," Jacob responded.

"How many doses of this shit is Luke taking?" Claire asked lifting the syringe so he could see it.

"At least one a day, plus another one or two on missions, ma'am," Jacob answered.

"WHAT!?" Miranda screamed.

"Relax cheerleader, Luke's solid. So what if he takes some drugs, he's good," Jack said taking a drink of water as she walked by.

"Our definitions of 'good' are wildly different," Miranda replied sharply.

"Enough, until further notice, Luke is benched. I want him off this shit. Is that clear? Find out where he is getting his supply and cut him off," Claire ordered looking around at the group. Jacob and Miranda nodded. Jack just shrugged and walked away drinking her water.

"Miranda, what could this do to him?" Claire asked draining the syringe on to the ground.

"With such a high dosage, it could increase is biotic potential past what his implants and amps can handle, or it could over load him and drain him of all biotic energy," Miranda explained, but she stopped short, as if she was about to say something else.

"What else?" Claire snapped. "What else could happen?"

"If he has been taking as much of the serum as Jacob says, it's possible that stopping him cold could kill him. We need to wean him off the serum. I'll give Dr. Chawkwas all my notes and assist in any way I can," Miranda offered.

"See that you do. I've got a feeling that it was your idea to give him that serum in the first place," Claire snapped coldly. Miranda hung her head in an obvious display of guilt.

"He asked for us to make him stronger so he could protect you," Miranda said looking back up at Claire with a more chilling stare than Claire had ever seen. She would have to work harder to gain Miranda's respect and loyalty; she was obviously still use to being in charge rather than taking orders.


	28. Chapter 28

**Sorry this chapter took so long. Had to write it in 200 word sections over the past two or three weeks in my spare time... which was practically nonexistent. Anyway, I hope y'all like it. This is more of a Kaidan and Mallory chapter even though it starts with Luke. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and always brighten up my day. Looking forward to finding out how everyone is enjoying the story. Enjoy!**

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Luke woke slowly to the low buzzing of machines and the delicate hum of the medbay lights. The light overwhelmed his vision as he tried to open his eyes taking a quick breath and quickly regretting the sudden motion. Pain shot through his torso as his rib cage expanded. He started taking very shallow breaths to keep his ribs from moving but it was no use. No matter what he did, his ribs sent stabbing pain through him. Instinctively, he reached for his leg pocket and realized he was not in his armor anymore. Not only that, but he was restrained with medical straps around his wrists and ankles.

"It's not there," Dr. Chawkwas said stepping to his side with an injection of medigel.

"What?" Luke asked innocently though his mind was screaming at him for letting himself get caught. He pulled at the restraints trying to loosen them but they would not budge.

"The serum you are addicted to. The captain found it on you after you passed out on Horizon," Chawkwas explained.

Luke sighed and winced as the doctor injected the medi-gel into his ribs to aid the healing process. The pain from the ribs, however, was nothing compared to his embarrassment of being caught with the drug.

"What's Claire mood on this?" Luke asked.

"Claire is pissed at you Luke, and rightfully so. You know what this serum did to you as a teen. She wants you off of it immediately," the doctor informed him. Luke's eyes went wide.

"Karen, I'm not as strong biotically without it. I'll be a liability in combat. Please, I can't just stop cold turkey. It'll kill me," Luke pleaded. He hoped appealing to her personally by using her first name would help sway her.

"Unless I see fit to give you a limited dose to ease you off the serum, those are the orders," Chawkwas answered.

"Where's Claire? Let me talk to her," Luke pleaded again.

"I'm sorry, the Captain is on a mission to recover some kind of land vehicle. Apparently it's connected to a research team that went missing," Chawkwas responded.

"She's gone again. How long have I been out?" Luke asked pulling at his restraints.

"About nine hours," Chawkwas answered. "You've been ordered to stay on bed rest until you are clean of the serum and your ribs have healed."

Luke groaned and lay back closing his eyes. What had he done? Claire might have lost all trust in him, and strapped to the damn bed he couldn't send off his reports to Anderson and Hackett. Not only was he screwing up his mission with Claire and Cerberus, but his assignment with AEIS was crashing too. He took a slow breath and tried to clear his mind but he was already feeling the craving for the serum. It was all he could think about. Flushing his system with that clear, blue liquid he had grown so fond of drowned out every other thought in his head. He hated himself for loving that feeling so much but it was what made him feel powerful and strong.

 _This is not going to be easy. What if I say something about my real mission while I'm detoxing? I need to figure out a way that no one will be around me for next bit until this is over._

"Doc, can I ask a favor?" Luke asked. Chawkwas looked down at him and crossed her arms.

"Depends on the favor, Luke," she answered.

"I need to be quarantined. Only you and Claire should have access and even Claire should be limited. I don't know what this detox is going to do to me. I might not be able to control my biotics and I could hurt someone, so…please?" Luke asked. He was not sure if he was telling the truth about his biotics, but showing true worry was the only way to convince the doctor to oblige him. He had to protect his secrets… even from Claire.

"You want me to quarantine you?" Karen exclaimed nearly dropping her data pad.

"Full quarantine. No sound, no biotics, nothing gets out," Luke replied. Hopefully he could hold his tongue while the doctor and Claire were in the room, but once they left it wouldn't matter what he said, no one would be able to hear him. He could howl at the moon and scream his darkest secrets and no one would be the wiser.

"I'll see what I can do," Chawkwas answered. She eyed him with a curiosity that made him a little nervous. Hopefully she would help him before he started losing his mind… if he lost his mind. The not knowing what was ahead scared him even more the possibility of exposing his secrets.

000

The SSV Europa pulled into dock at Arcturus station as Kaidan watched from the window. He sighed and adjusted his uniform. He had been forbidden to speak about the attack on Horizon until a full report was given to the Defense Committee and Admiral Hackett.

"Commander Alenko, your presence has been requested in the board room on level six once we dock," an orderly reported. Kaidan turned to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"I was suppose to report directly to the proceedings. Who changed the orders?" Kaidan asked crossing his arms.

"The order came directly from Admiral Hackett, sir," the orderly reported. Kaidan nodded and dismissed the man with a wave. Turning back to the window, he spotted an amazing sight. The Athens was docked only a few bays down. Mallory would be on the station somewhere. Maybe after his debriefing with Hackett and the Committee, he might be able to see her, tell her about Claire and Luke… Although, telling her that her brother and sister had joined forces with one of their most hated enemies was probably not a great dinner conversation.

As he stepped out of the docking tube and on to the station, Kaidan was immediately tackled by someone. He had not even seen her coming, but that red hair and the tight grip around him told him all he needed to know.

"Hey Mal, I told you we'd see each other again soon," Kaidan stated. Mallory leaned back just long enough to turn her head so she could plant a kiss on his lips that nearly knocked him off his feet.

When their lips parted, they held each other for a moment longer before stepping away from each other. Kaidan quickly noticed several marines giving him a thumbs up or big grin. Typical soldiers, whenever a buddy got a girl, they immediately tossed in their approval or disapproval, whether it was wanted or not.

"I've got so much to tell you," Mallory said as they started walking.

"So do I, but I have to report to Admiral Hackett first. I have orders to immediately see him upon arrival," Kaidan explained. He had so much he needed to tell her and a ton more he wanted to tell her but as she always said, duty first.

"Mind company?" Mallory asked looping her arm into the crook of his elbow.

"Not at all," Kaidan responded smiling. They only had a limited time together and he wanted to spend every second he could with her.

As soon as they were out of ear shot of the others, Mallory immediately turned to him. Her expression mixed between excitement, confusion, and fear as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I found out something that's huge, but I'm having a hard time making sense of it," Mallory said as they continued to walk.

"What is it?" Kaidan could feel a lump forming in his throat. Could she already know about Claire and Luke? Could she know that he knew and didn't tell her?

"My captain showed me some raw intelligence from Omega and…well… I saw Claire and Luke," Mallory said wringing her hands. "But, it couldn't be them right? Claire's dead and Luke's…I mean…He wouldn't be running around with Cerberus."

Kaidan took a slow breath and looked around for any sign of security or superior officers before sighing and rubbing the back of his head. "Look, I don't know how much I can tell you but you already know the big things."

"How much you can tell me?" Mallory asked taking a step back. Kaidan bit his lip before letting out a slow breathe and looking up at the woman he loved. He knew that anything he said was going to hurt her, especially since his most recent assignment was seeing if Cerberus was behind the colonial abductions and he bumped into Claire.

"All this has gotten twisted up with my AEIS assignments. I'm headed to Hackett to make my report. I'm sorry Mal, but all I can tell you is they're both alive," Kaidan said trying and to comfort her.

"Then, let me come with you. They're my family. I deserve to know what's going on," Mallory said looking up at him. Damn those bright green eyes, why could he never say no to her?

"Okay, come on, but you'll have to ask Hackett to be read in," Kaidan answered taking her hand and leading her toward the admiral's office.

Kaidan had theories screaming through his head on what might have been going on with Claire and Luke. Luke being with Cerberus made no sense unless they were blackmailing him, but why would Claire be there other than feeling like she owed them for bringing her back or maybe wanting to look out for her brother? Or could it really be like they said, could Cerberus really only be interested in stopping the collectors?

As the door to the admiral's office hissed open, Kaidan spotted the man behind his desk reading through some reports and signing a few accommodation notices. Most of those medals were awarded just for years of service, but every so often there was someone like Claire Shepard who got the Star of Terra for their actions. He had heard of a marine about a year and a half earlier taking command when his squad leader was wounded and saving a colony. The guy had even been wearing a 'Remember the Normandy' badge on his armor as he did. What would finding out Claire was working with Cerberus do to guys like that?

"Commander Alenko, Commander Shepard, come on in. I was just finishing up," Hackett said neatly assembling his data pads and papers and pushing them aside.

"Sir, I was told you wanted me to report to you before the defense committee," Kaidan said saluting crisply. Mallory snapped to attention and saluted as well.

"At ease, relax and have a seat. There's a lot we need to discuss, and I'm glad you brought Shepard with you," Hackett said saluting and walking around his desk, shaking Kaidan's hand. The commander had gotten a little to use to the familiar way the brass talked to him since he started working for AEIS. Mallory must have picked up on it because she turned at looked at him a little confused.

"Sir, I would like to read in Commander Mallory Shepard into my overall mission. Personally, sir, I think she deserves to know," Kaidan stated as Hackett shook Mallory's hand.

"To be honest, I'm surprise you didn't tell her already. Permission granted. Then you can make your report," Hackett replied returning to his desk.

"Thank you sir," Kaidan said bowing his head slightly. He then turned to Mallory and smiled. "For the past two years, my job has been to scout, locate, and survey possible threats to the Alliance. Cerberus, Geth, Reapers, and mercenaries are all on the list, although reapers were not there until a item was found in batarian space."

"Leave the Project out of it," Hackett jumped in. Kaidan nodded and cleared his throat. Why would he want to leave out the Project? It was the only proof they had that the reapers were real.

"Well, the main focus shifted to trying to find the missing colonists, which is why your marines got pulled in so much. We always planned on reading you into the operation and using you as tactical support, but they dragged their feet. We started bumping into more and more Cerberus agents and teams, including our favorite, the Wolf Pack. We've put together a list of everything they stole and attacked trying to figure out what they were after but all of it was advance scientific equipment that not even I can figure out what they'd use it for," Kaidan explained. He could see Mal was hanging on every word. She was mulling everything over in her mind and trying to put the puzzle together to find the truth.

"We believe we've found the reason for the attacks and thefts," Hackett added.

"What? That's news to me," Kaidan exclaimed.

"Judging from the intelligence and lab research, everything they stole along with other purchases that can be traced to Cerberus suggest a massive medical operation involving billions of credits. We believe they used that equipment to bring Captain Claire Shepard back from the dead. As I am sure that you are both aware, it looks like they succeeded," Hackett stated.

"I can confirm that. The captain told me herself on Horizon," Kaidan answered. Mallory whirled around so fast, Kaidan was almost knocked over.

"You talked to her!?" Mallory exclaimed.

"I've spent the last three weeks on Horizon in the Terminus, officially helping build defenses for the colony. Unofficially, I was there because intel received a tip that Horizon might have been next to disappear." Kaidan turned to face Hackett. "Sir, whatever source told you it was Collectors, they were right. Damn things hit us faster than anything I've seen." He paused again. It was hard to admit the next part, but if Cerberus and Claire had not intervened, he would have been taken just like the colonists.

"Go on," Hackett urged.

"Sir, if Cerberus had not intervened, the Collectors would have taken the whole colony. But on a negative not, those other reports were right. Claire and Luke are both with Cerberus. I heard some of their radio chatter and it appears they have rounded up some old friends too. Joker, is piloting their new Normandy, and Garrus Vakarian is part of the ground team," Kaidan continued. "I wrote out a more detailed report. It should have been delivered as soon as we arrived."

"Yes, I got it. I also sent it to Councilor Anderson. He sends his best by the way," Hackett said tapping a data pad on his desk.

"It's not like Cerberus to work with turians," Mallory stated crossing her arms and pursing her lips, obviously thinking.

"It wasn't just Garrus. They had a salarian and a krogan with them too, and the Wolf Pack. I've got to admit, they could handle themselves," Kaidan said rubbing his chin.

"According to our source, Cerberus is supplying the funding and allowing the captain to pick her team. They used Luke to recruit people that She would trust to crew the ship as well. They've built a perfect mask to hide the real Cerberus behind," Hackett stated.

"Sir, your source inside Cerberus, who is it? How are they getting so much intel on the organization?" Mallory asked. Kaidan smiled and glanced over at Mallory. He had asked Hackett that himself months earlier, and Hackett had just laughed at him and told him that he had a lot to learn about the intelligence branch of the military. He also said that in order to keep a secret between more than one person the others would have to be dead.

"The source is a member of Cerberus with access. That is all that can or will be said," Hackett stated firmly. Kaidan smirked. That was even less than Hackett had said to him. Though, he had found out more about the source. Hackett slipped up and called the source 'he' once instead of a gender neutral term. Kaidan couldn't help but admire the nameless agent. The man had buried himself so deep in Cerberus he was able to dig out massive scores of information on spies, accounts, cells hiding within the Alliance, and even warned against a few raids. It was admirable.

"So, how can we defend against the Collectors?" Mallory asked.

"We've gotten samples of the venom used to paralyze the colonists and we are working on an antidote at the Fehl Prime AEIS facilty under the main colony. We have our Cerberus source to thank for those too," Hackett stated.

"I saw the Cerberus team wearing these weird devices on their belts, wired into their armor's power core. They were able to move through the colony without those swarms attacking them. I think it's some kind of repellant sir," Kaidan stated. He had gotten a fairly close look at the device when Luke got close. Close enough that Kaidan was able to feel the amount of biotic power coming off of him. Should he report Luke's new biotic strength? If so, should it be in front of Mallory? Hackett did need to know as much as possible.

"We'll have to wait for our source to get us the schematics, but I hope you included your mission logs and scans in your report," Hackett asked.

"Yes sir, but there's something else I think you need to know," Kaidan started. "Luke has gotten extremely strong biotically. Compared to two years ago, I don't even recognize him. There's no way he got that powerful with just training and new amps or implants. I think Cerberus might have done something to boost his power," Kaidan reported. He could feel Mallory's eyes glued to his back as he spoke. Considering the trauma Luke had experience early in life coupled with the trauma of loosing Claire, it was not hard to think he had relapsed.

"I see. What do you think Commander? Could Cerberus be using whatever this biotic enhancement is to manipulate your brother?" Hackett asked.

"If it's what I think it is, then yes. It's very possible," Mallory answered.

"Alright… Alenko, go and make your report to the defense committee. Shepard, understand this is a level 6 classified operation. You were only read in because it involved your family. Do not mention this or the source to anyone," Hackett ordered.

The pair saluted before turning to leave. Kaidan glanced back at the admiral sat down behind his desk again and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was stressed. There was something about the idea of Luke being manipulated that made him extremely uneasy. But what scared Kaidan more than that thought was if Luke could be controlled by Cerberus, could they be using that influence to manipulate Claire too? It made a bit of sense, but Claire was too smart for that. She would see through any kind of manipulation tactic. Kaidan sighed. He couldn't abandon his post, but he knew that Claire was still loyal and was using Cerberus to fight the Collectors, just like she said she was. He would need to send a message apologizing for his behavior and wish her, Garrus, and Luke luck. It was the least he could do.


	29. Chapter 29

**So that took me a whole lot longer than I had expected. Of course I have been working 12 hours a day 7 days a week for the past 3 months, so I have an excuse...or a reason... I'm not sure which one that would be... Any way, YAY more Mass Effect! hope you guys like this one. As always, comments and reviews make my day so please let me know what you think of the story and how its going. thanks and enjoy!**

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Quarantine… Claire knew Chawkwas had said Luke wanted it, but it still disturbed her to watch him thrash and yell with no sound at all. He was strapped to the bed with biotic dampeners to keep him from tearing through them but she could still see the bed moving.

"How much longer?" Claire asked as Dr. Chawkwas checked Luke's vitals and upped his medication dose.

"If this was something like red sand, I could tell you. But this is something I've never seen before. The serum has integrated with his body so completely, he might never be completely clean," Chawkwas answered. Claire rubbed her forehead and took a few steps closer to her brother. Even in the sound proof quarantine shell, she could almost hear him howling in pain.

"Spirits."

Claire turned to see Garrus standing in the door way. His eyes were focused on his old partner as Luke thrashed and vomited over the side of the bed. Claire stepped to his side and clasped the turian's hand as she tried to hold back her tears.

"I've seen things like this with suspects in C-Sec, but it's different when it's a friend," Garrus said giving Claire's hand a squeeze.

"I just want him to be okay," Claire said. Her voice threatened to release the tears she desperately held back. She had to stay strong.

"It's okay to cry," Garrus said pulling her into a warm hug. Claire clung to the turian as her tears spilled out. She couldn't take it. Everything was different. Her friends, comrades, and her family had all moved on and become different people. Luke was back into drugs and working for Cerberus and Garrus had become some kind of vigilante. She just wanted things to get back to the way they were before the SR1 was destroyed.

The moment the crash crawled into her mind she started to feel the chills creeping up her back again. Her chest tightened as if she were gasping for air and the memory ripped open her mind. Floods of fire, metal, and death overwhelmed her as she cried into Garrus' chest.

"You're safe Claire." The two toned voice somehow quieted everything around her. She was back in the medbay clinging to Garrus with all her might. "I've got your back and I'm never going to let anything happen to you," Garrus assured her.

Claire smiled and wiped her tears away before turning back to look at Luke. Chawkwas had expanded the quarantine barrier to allow her to clean him up. Claire saw Luke's lips moving as if her were talking. What could he be saying?

The doctor stepped back out of the quarantine and shrank the barrier once more before washing and decontaminating her hands. She looked truly confused, and that did not happen very often.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked.

"He… um… I think he doesn't remember who he is," Chawkwas answered scribbling something down in her report.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked. How could he not remember who he was? Was this detox really doing that much damage to him? could he even survive it?

"I said his name trying to get him to calm down so I could clean him up, but he told me that Luke wasn't his name. He claimed to be someone named Mike Keller," Chawkwas explained. Claire looked over at her brother. Could he really have forgotten? Did he even remember her?

"Don't worry about that one, doc," Garrus said. The statement shocked Claire and she stepped away from him looking up at him curiously. The turian smiled and looked her straight in the eyes. "Luke was an undercover agent for C-Sec, remember. That was one of his identities. A thief on the Citadel I think," Garrus informed them.

"I suppose that would make sense. We just need to make sure that we returns to his true identity or he could lose himself," Chawkwas replied.

The medbay door opened and six crew members stood just outside with Jacob. Claire looked them over and smirked. There was no hiding it. These were Luke's Wolf Pack.

"Sorry, Captain. We didn't mean to intrude. We just wanted to check on Luke," Jacob said saluting. The other six followed suit, snapping to attention and saluting crisply.

"He's been better," Claire replied looking back at Luke as he continued to thrash on the cot.

"We're so sorry, Captain. We should have seen it and stopped him sooner," one of the men said. Claire smiled and crossed her arms.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Miles Brinkman ma'am," the man answered.

"Or as you are called on missions, Gamma," Claire stated smirking. "Look, I understand that you are all supposed to keep your identities a secret but on this mission, I want to know my people. This job is too big to not know everyone."

She watched as the team exchanged looks and then all turned to Jacob. The commando chuckled and lifted his shoulders shrugging.

"Hey, she found out who Luke and I both were within two hours of waking up, and this is her ship," he stated.

Claire smiled at him nodding her thanks before turning back to the rest of the Wolf Pack. "All of you are on a combat team, so as of now, that is your main role. Your identities will remain classified outside of this ship, but among the crew, your identities will be known. I don't want anyone thinking that any of you are skipping out on work while you're really on a ground mission," Claire ordered.

"I suppose real introductions are in order," Miles said smiling.

"Abby Clayton, Theta, sniper," a young woman said shortly. Claire smiled looking the woman over quickly. The sniper was serious and quiet, and judging from her earlier salute, had trained with the Alliance Marines before Cerberus.

"Raul Torres, Delta. I'm the team breacher," a large man stated nodding. Claire nodded back. This guy had never served in the military. He must have been recruited and trained by Cerberus from the get-go.

"Mary Bigham, Kappa, squad medic," the woman reported. She could not have been more than 20 to 25 years old. A little young to be on an elite commando team, but her combat training had to have been only from Cerberus with a background in medical training from the Alliance, considering her discipline and skill.

"Hank Durkoff, Zeta, explosives." The man might as well have screamed Engineer Corps. Probably a civilian contractor turned soldier. At least that's what she believed based on what she saw him do on Horizon.

"Katie Lacroy, Sigma. I'm the team's hacker." The woman could really even be called a woman. She was the youngest of the bunch by far. She must have been recruited straight out of school by Alliance Intelligence and recently recruited and trained for combat by Cerberus.

"It's nice to finally meet all of you face to face," Claire said. She glance back at Garrus and Chawkwas. Garrus seemed fairly calm, but Chawkwas looked like she was about to pass out. Claire quickly realized that by declassifying the Wolf Pack's identities, she had revealed Luke as Alpha Wolf as well.

"Are you telling me that Luke was Alpha Wolf?" Chawkwas snapped glaring over at Luke as he screamed silently beneath the barrier. The look in her eyes softened and she checked his vitals again.

"Luke changed a lot over the past two years. I'd love to hear about some of it," Claire said approaching the team.

"No problem ma'am," Miles answered.

Claire knew that now was not the best time to spend walking with the Wolf Pack. She had reports to file, the ship to inspect, and the crew to check up on, but she needed a distraction from watching her brother suffer. Something that would take her mind off it completely. She hoped that talking and laughing with the Pack would help her see what Luke had become before the drugs and the detox.

Garrus stuck close to her side as the group made their way to the dining hall and sat down.

000

Luke felt like every cell in his body was rupturing and pulling him apart. He had vomited everything he tried to eat and could feel himself getting weaker by the second. He didn't know how long it had been since he started the detox. Minutes? Hours? Days? It felt like years.

He couldn't sleep because of the pain and comfort remained elusive. He had to keep his head. He could not let anything about AEIS leak out, not even to Claire or Chawkwas.

Memories flooded his thoughts. Old cases from C-Sec, childhood games with Mal and Claire, missions with the pack. All of it washed over him in a jumbled mess of identities, sorrow, happiness, fear, and anger. He couldn't keep anything straight.

Like a shot through the chest, the pain returned causing him to scream in pain before vomiting once more over the side of the bed. At this point he was not sure what he had left in him to throw up.

"Luke," a voice said. Like a distant cry in an empty cave, his name sounded so far away and unfamiliar. "Luke." Wait, he knew that voice, but where was she? How was she here?

"Ashley, where are you?" Luke whispered.

No answer. Nothing but pain racking every muscle and bone in his body.

"Ashley, please. Where are you?" Luke shouted.

"Get up, keep fighting. That's what you taught me. Don't you dare give up," Ashley's voice ordered.

Luke closed his eyes again and sighed. "'In the fell Clutch of circumstance/ I have not winced nor cried aloud./ Under the bludgeoning of chance/ my head is bloody, but unbowed.'" _Invictus_ had been one of Ashley's favorites. One of his too and as long as he remembered it, he would never give up.

"Now get up and fight," Ashley ordered.

Luke's eyes opened and he was back in the med bay within the quarantine barrier. Dr. Chawkwas adjusted hi medication on his right muttering something that he could not hear through the barrier. Luke took in a slow breath and relaxed as best he could. The pain was still there, but nowhere near as what it had been.

The barrier expanded and Chawkwas stepped to his bedside. "You are looking much better," she said warmly checking his vitals on the monitor.

"Still feel like hell, but I have control over my biotics again. I think the quarantine can be lifted," Luke said turning his head to smile at her. He knew he probably had lost control of his biotics, but the quarantine was more to keep his secrets protected. Now that he had control of his mind once more, there was no need for the quarantine.

Chawkwas smiled warmly and deactivated the quarantine. "Judging from the readings and your state of mind, I'd say you are making some good steps on the road to recovery," the doctor said opening her omni-tool and recording a few notes.

"How long have I been out?" Luke asked sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Almost a week," the doctor said turning to face him.

Luke sighed and bowed his head. An entire week lost. Who knows how many times Claire might have needed him. "Damn it, what's been going on?"

"Well, the captain recovered a ground vehicle that has proved useful on a few missions and has recovered a prothean artifact. We're on our way to the Citadel now to drop it off for research, pick up a recruit, and resupply. I think the captain wanted to talk to Councilor Anderson too," Chawkwas stated.

Luke kept his gaze down, doing his best to hide his smile. He needed to talk to Anderson, but privately. He wanted to get one of the repellant devices to him so the Alliance could reverse engineer it and get them to their squads. The last thing he wanted was to have anything like Horizon to happen again.

"How long until we arrive?" Luke asked adjusting his position in bed.

" _Time of arrival estimated at 3 and a half hours, Operative Shepard,"_ EDI reported. Luke nodded. He was starting to get use to EDI being around, maybe even appreciated her from time to time.

"Hey doc, would it be okay if I went ashore while we're there?" Luke asked. He had to, not just for his mission, but to simply be himself again. Not some AEIS spy or a Cerberus commando, just Luke Shepard. He might even look in on Bailey and see how he was doing. The last he heard, his old partner was a captain now. He might be able to help him gather information and provide assistance if he needed it. He hated the idea of using his old partner as an asset, but it might be necessary.

"If the captain says its okay and you have someone with you at all times, then we'll see," Chawkwas said crossing her arms.

Luke smiled and sat up turning his legs out of bed. He felt weak, like his muscles were all sleeping and nothing would wake them up. His biotics felt different too. Not weaker, but very different. He couldn't quite put his finger on how or why. He assumed it was because of the lack of serum in his system, but that was just a guess.

"Any way I could get some real food?" Luke asked trying to stand.

"I don't know if you can call Gardner's food real, but how's mystery meat stew sound?" Gamma asked coming in with a tray.

Luke glanced over at Chawkwas before looking back to his friend. "How'd you know I was even up?"

"Window," Gamma responded shortly setting the tray of food next to Luke on the table. "There's a lot you need to know about."

Luke raised an eyebrow as he started munching on some crackers and his stew. Gamma explained the few missions over the past week in detail, but what shocked Luke the most was not the recovery of the Prothean artifact or the Geth involvement. It was Claire decision to declassify his team's identities on board the Normandy. Luke knew Claire wanted to build trust between all the ground team members, but if his identity leaked and Alliance Brass found out, it could ruin Mallory's blossoming reputation.

Though he had not been keeping active surveillance on Mallory, He caught a few stories and reports while tracking his own team's notoriety. Mallory had been involved in several operations in the same areas that the Pack had been in almost to the point that Luke thought she was tracking them. Mallory had gained the respect of her men and her commanding officers, not to mention their trust. If it got out that her triplet brother was in command of the most notorious Cerberus team in operation, that trust would be lost and her men might lose confidence in her. After all the effort she put in to overcome the death of Claire, his disappearance, Kaidan's reassignment, and the title 'Butcher of Torfan,' the last thing he wanted to do was ruin her career.

"What's the team think about this?" Luke asked.

"They're a little more relaxed, at least about the identity thing, but they're a little concerned about you with this whole detox thing," Gamma explained. No, his name was Miles. It would be nice to call his team by name and actually spend some down time with them without having to be secretive.

"I know, and I've got some explaining to do. Not just to you guys, but to Claire and the rest of the ground team too," Luke said as he finished off his stew. As usual, bland and tasteless, but it did fill him up. At least he could be grateful for that.

000

Claire kept a close eye on Luke as the two of them made their way down the boarding tube. It was strange entering the Citadel at a civilian port rather than a military one. They had to jump through so many hoops to get docking permission being an armed ship. Miranda had supplied all the forms and requests with authorization, but the Cerberus ship still caused some distrust. Not that Claire blamed them, she still had trouble even partially trusting Cerberus.

"So, a recruit, supplies, and Anderson, right?" Luke said bracing himself with the guard rail. He looked so weak. An entire week of seizures, convulsing, and vomiting really took all of his strength. He would need therapy and an evaluation before he could return to active duty.

"Yes, we'll go get the recruit first then go talk to Anderson. Supplies are easy. We'll pick them up right before we leave," Claire said placing her hand on Luke's shoulder.

"I'm good," he snapped jerking his shoulder away. Claire sighed and crossed her arms. Luke really did not have the strength to be out of bed, however if she had told him not to leave the ship, he would have snuck out anyway. At least this way she could keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble.

As they approached the C-Sec security check, Claire spotted an advertisement pylon in the middle of the walk way. She tried not to pay attention but there was something about it that made her feel uneasy. As she and Luke stepped closer, a face appeared with a hood covering all but her nose and mouth.

" _Captain Shepard, say the password and win a prize,"_ the advertisement announced.

"Silence is golden," Claire responded. Luke rolled his eye.

"Look, I'm a black ops commando and I think this is a little much. Your being paid good money so might as well meet us face to face," Luke snarled. Claire sighed. She hated to agree with him when he looked so angry, but he had a point. Why couldn't this Kasumi Goto just meet them? Why all the mystery?

" _I had to make sure it was you. Someone in my profession has to keep a low profile,_ " Kasumi said as a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm here to get you. Are you with us?" Claire asked.

" _As long as my little errand gets done, I think it sounds like fun,"_ Kasumi responded. Claire was afraid she would say something like that. Cerberus had a way of writing checks she was having to cash.

"I heard what you are wanting to do and I will be the one handling it. Claire is not to be involved, clear?" Luke said.

"What?" Claire exclaimed looking at her brother.

"Claire, trust me. The less you know about this little side mission, the better," Luke said ad he let out a slow breath. He must have had another spike inhis pain.

"My ship, my responsibility. At least tell me what the mission is," Claire said looking between the advertisement pylon and Luke. She was not about to let Luke walk in to something that he couldn't handle.

" _It is retrieving something that belonged to my late partner. A… business man name Donovan Hawke has it,"_ Kasumi explained.

"If by business man you mean one of the biggest crime lords in Citadel Space. He runs about forty percent of all the illegal arms trafficking and runs his own private army. I tried nailing him in my C-Sec days, but there was never enough to link him legally to anything," Luke expanded. The look in her brother's eyes and the feeling in her gut told her there was more to it. She locked her eyes on Luke and cleared her throat. Luke sighed and wet his lips. "He might have supplied some of the weapons to the Terminus pirates that hit Elysium."

Claire felt her blood boil. A human helped arm pirates that tried to destroy Elysium and nearly got her killed. Hell yes, she was taking on that mission. "Whatever you need to do to take him down, I'll help."

"Excellent. This will be fun," Kasumi said dropping down from the landing above them as the pylon deactivated. "We should wrap this up though. You two look pretty silly talking to an advertisement."

"Hey, this was your idea," Luke said motioning to the pylon.

"See you on the ship," Kasumi said giving the pair of them a little wave and heading for the Normandy. As she walked away, a cloaking device activated and she completely vanished from view.

"She's going to be trouble," Claire said looking over at her brother.

"I like her," Luke responded bluntly.

Claire laughed and pat him on the shoulder. "Me too."


	30. Chapter 30

**Yay, time for Anderson... ugh, and Udina, booooooo. Hope you guys like this one. I kind of gave Luke a bit of an attitude because you know... detox... Thanks to blue and general for your constant reviews and welcome to the new followers. Hope you guys like it!**

 **000000000000000000000000000**

Luke and Claire approached the security station for Zakera Ward as alarms started to sound. Luke smirked and looked over at Claire.

"Bet you, twenty credits this is your fault," he jested. Claire shook her head and punched him lightly in the arm. "What? I'm just being realistic."

"Sorry ma'am, but the scanner seems to think that you're… dead," the officer operating the scanner stated. Luke smirked.

"Who's your captain? Alkarius?" Luke asked.

"Um…no… Captain Alkarius died two years ago when the Geth attacked," the officer said. Luke sighed and nodded. He had known the old turian and had helped him on a few cases. He had hoped the captain would do him the favor of just waving them on through. "Captain Bailey is in charge now."

Luke perked up immediately. "You've got to be kidding me. Armando Bailey is your captain!?"

"You know him?" Claire asked.

"Know him? The guy was my first partner. Before Garrus and I got assigned together," Luke exclaimed. "Tell the captain that the Shepards are here to see him. He'll clear us." Luke smiled as the officer radioed the message and the doors opened. Luke and Claire entered the station as Bailey stood up to greet them.

"Shepard, you damn son of a bitch," Bailey shouted laughing and embracing Luke tightly. "You disappear for two years and then show up at my security department? The hell are you up to?"

"No good, as usual. Captain Bailey, this is Captain Claire Shepard, my sister and current commanding officer," Luke said stepping back and motioning to Claire. Bailey shook her hand and sat back down behind his desk.

"Well, I see why you two had trouble getting through security. Says here that you're dead, Captain," Bailey said pointing to the screen.

"Can that be fixed?" Claire asked. Luke chuckled and leaned on the desk with his arms crossed.

"Normally you'd have to go to about thirty different agencies to straighten it out. Being dead for a while is a popular tax dodge," Bailey said pulling up a list of agencies and forms that Cliare would have to fill out. Luke chuckled at seeing her face.

"Of course there are other ways," Luke said smirking at his old partner.

"Well, I know you two are probably really busy… so how about I just push this button right here and call it finished?" Bailey said motioning to a button on his console.

"Is that legal?" Claire asked.

"Not strictly," Luke said as he and Bailey chuckled. "You'll find that Armando likes to keep things moving even if it means cutting corners."

"Not a big fan of the rules?" Claire asked folding her arms.

"I'm with them up to where they keep people from doing their jobs, and according to what I've heard about you two, you see things the same way," Bailey said pushing the button and signing the confirmation order that popped up. "That being said, you should probably visit the Council. I'm sure they would like to know one of their Spectres is alive and well."

"Thanks Bailey, and could you check me in under a different name?" Luke asked.

"Which one?"

"Mike Keller," Luke responded as Claire turned to look at him.

"I remember that one. Need to get in contact with some old friends?" Bailey asked filling out the form.

"Old enemies, actually. What's Felix up to these days?" Luke asked.

"Pushing up daisies. Died in the geth attack. Most of the big guys did. We've got a lot of new blood running things down here; same thing on all the other Wards too," Bailey explained.

"Are the Reds still active?" Luke asked. He heard Claire clear her throat.

"There'll be time for this later. Come on," Claire said motioning for Luke to follow her.

"Can you send me what you know about the gangs and any other intel you've gotten?" Luke asked backing away from the desk and toward his sister.

"No problem. It was good to see you, Shepard," Bailey stated.

Luke smiled and nodded to his friend. "You too, Bailey. Don't get dead."

"Don't get dead," Bailey replied.

As Luke followed Claire out of the station, Claire turned to him. Luke could tell she had something on her mind as they made their way toward a public transit station.

"What was the 'don't get dead' thing in there?" Claire asked.

"Instead of saying 'good luck' or 'be careful', Bailey and I just said 'don't get dead' as our way of wishing each other luck," Luke said. He could see several groups of people on the street. The crime had definitely increased since he left. He could see gang signs painted on the walls. Zakera Ward was easily one of the most diverse wards on the Citadel. Most of the others were controlled by one race or another, but Zakera had everything from council races to quarians to drell. It reminded Luke of how New York City back on Earth had been described in its golden years.

"When we visit Anderson, please keep from punching anyone," Claire said winking at him as the climbed into a shuttle.

"You take all the fun out of everything," Luke responded.

000

Luke stopped at a souvenir shop outside the Human Embassy. As easy as it would be to sneak into Councilor Anderson's office, they needed to at the very least appear to be normal visitors. He bought an Alliance military ball cap and zipped his hoodie up all the way. Anyone who knew him would recognize the hoodie, but other than that, he should pass unnoticed.

Claire on the other hand wore her jeans and black N7 jacket with her red hair flowing behind her from her ponytail. Luke was still getting use to seeing her with longer hair.

"Ready?" Luke asked flipping his hood up over the cap and pulling the rim down over his face.

"Yeah, Mr. Bond, let's go," Claire answered butchering an English accent. Luke wished he had gotten a recording of it to show Chawkwas.

The embassy felt crowded as military orderlies and receptionists raced about with paperwork and argued with citizens over the counters. Luke shook his head and followed Claire to the door leading to the private offices.

Claire put in her access code, but was denied. She tried again producing the same result.

"Claire, they probably took your code out of the system when you died. Here, let me," Luke said stepping forward. Luke sighed trying to figure out which code he needed to use. If he used the code given to him as Claire's operative, it might not work. C-Sec had definitely pulled his access, but his AEIS identity would definitely work. But, using that code could put his identity at risk if Cereberus were to find out. Luke decided to use his civilian code and send a notification to Anderson that they were there.

"I could have done that?" Claire said folding her arms.

"Yeah, but you didn't. So… I'm smarter," Luke said grinning. Claire slugged him in the arm and nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Oh geez… I'm sorry. It's hard to remember you're not 100% yet," Claire said rubbing his arm. The door opened and the siblings headed in.

As they approached the office, even through the door, they could hear Anderson talking to the council with the same gruff and commanding presence that Luke had come to know and respect. Luke palmed the access panel and allowed Claire to walk in first.

"Oh Captain, we were just talking about you," Anderson said upon seeing them. Luke could tell Claire was fighting her urge to run up and hug he man.

"I see how it is," Luke said crossing his arms. "I'm just chopped liver aren't I?"

"It's good to see you too, son," Andersons said shaking their hands in turn.

"It's been too long Anderson… oh, I mean Councilor," Claire stated straightening her back.

"No need for that, Claire. I might be a politician, but I'm still a soldier at heart," Anderson assured her.

"We've heard some disturbing rumors about the nature of your unexpected return, Captain," the salarian councilor interrupted. Luke could have jumped through the holographic projector. _That ungrateful bastard. Claire saved his pathetic little life and he immediately jumps to question her allegiance?_

"This meeting was called to discuss these developments, but now that you are here, we will allow you to explain yourself," the asari councilor added.

"Did all the councilors sit on spikes this morning or is it just me?" Luke whispered in Claire's ear. Claire stifled a chuckled before stepping forward.

"I need help. The Collectors are kidnapping entire human colonies in the Terminus systems. Horizon was just the latest of many. What's worse, they're working for the reapers," Claire explained.

Luke had not heard their mission summed up so cleanly since they began, but quickly noticed that Claire did not mention Cerberus' involvement or their hand in bringing her back and resurrecting her.

"Ah yes, Reapers. The race of sentient starships waiting in dark space… we have dismissed those ludicrous claims. They were obviously lies Saren used to manipulate the Geth and you," the turian councilor answered.

"You've got to be shitting me?" Luke exclaimed. All eyes turned to him almost immediately. Luke could tell Claire was trying to wave him off, but he didn't care, He needed an excuse to throw some things around so no one would notice if he dropped his seeker swarm counter measure and his reports in Anderson's office.

"Luke," Claire started as he flung off the ball cap.

"Claire saved your asses in that fight with Sovereign. She sacrificed human lives to do it," Luke snapped slamming his hand down on the Anderson's desk. As he did, he made sure to knock the countermeasure off his belt before swinging his fist and knocking papers on top of it. "My sister has sacrificed friends, family, and her own life to serve the Alliance and the Council. Even now when both organizations turned their back on her she is still fighting to keep your dumb asses safe."

"Officer Shepard that is enough," Anderson roared.

"No, it will never be enough. Other than you, sir, no one believed her when she said Saren had gone rogue. No one believed her when she said she needed to go to Ilos. No one believed her when she said the reapers are coming. How many times are you going to dismiss her before you realize everything she is saying is true? How many lives are you going to sacrifice before you take action?" Luke roared pointing accusingly at the council. As he finished his outburst, his knees started shaking and he made sure to fall toward Anderson.

The councilor reached out and caught him as Luke slipped an OSB drive into his palm. Anderson looked down at Luke a little surprised but nodded his understanding as he helped Luke over to a chair.

"We are not questioning the captain's actions in the past, however, her current mental state is troublesome. It is obvious that she was manipulated by Saren and is now under the influence of Cerberus. Allying yourself with them is treason," the asari councilor responded.

"That's too far!" Anderson erupted. Luke could tell Claire was about to jump in, but Anderson had beaten her to it. "I'm on this council too and I won't let this white wash continue. Captain Shepard is a damned hero. She deserves our trust and support."

Luke smirked and glanced over at Claire.

"Councilors, my only goal is to safeguard the galaxy. The fact that I am working with Cerberus means I will go to whatever lengths are absolutely necessary to protect the galaxy," Claire stated placing a calm hand on Anderson's shoulder. "I know what Cerberus has done in the past and I don't trust them, but they are supplying me with funding and a ship to save lives and fight the Collectors. That is a true and present threat that you should be able to support me on." Claire definitely had a knack for public speaking. Luke could see the silent deliberation between the councilors as they tried to decide what to do.

"Perhaps there is a compromise… not a official action, considering your ties, but a showing of the council's faith in you. Captain Claire Shepard, we hereby reinstate your Spectre status under Top Secret classification. We ask that you do, however, restrict your actions to the Terminus Systems," the asari stated.

"I'm honored councilor," Claire responded bowing shallowly.

"We wish you luck Captain, and a quick ened to your involvement with Cerberus," the councilor added before the council's holograms vanished.

Once they were gone, Claire immediately turned to look at Luke. "What the hell was all that?" Claire snapped.

"They were calling you a liar and a traitor in politician speak. I just wanted to remind them that it's a bad idea not to trust you," Luke responded rubbing his head and bracing himself on his knees.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but you don't look to good," Anderson said kneeling in front of Luke.

"He just finished a detox off of a drug Cerberus had him on," Claire informed him. Luke could see the look of concern in Anderson's eyes as the man stood.

"It didn't interfere with my duties, but it was addicting. Gave me an incredible boost in biotic power; enough that I could tear a heavy mech in half with my bare hands," Luke added. He hoped Anderson would understand that it did not impact his ability to gather intelligence.

"You keep your nose clean, son. You understand me?" Anderson stated placing a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Yes sir," Luke responded obediently.

The door opened behind them and Udina walked in clearing his throat and examining a data pad. He looked completely oblivious to anything or anyone else in the room as he approached the desk that now lay in shambles thanks to Luke's outburst.

"Anderson, we need to talk about…" Udina paused as he looked up and saw Claire and Luke. "Shepard? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too Udina. How's the jaw?" Luke said snidely.

"Not use to seeing ghosts Udina?" Claire added. Luke smirked up at his sister. There might be a lot of things that did not agree on, but their dislike of Udina was not one of them.

"I'd heard you were alive, but I never expected to see you on the Citadel," Udina said ignoring Luke's comment.

"I invited her here to talk with the council. We just finished our meeting," Anderson stated making his way over to his desk. Luke watched as the councilor descreatly slide the countermeasure into his desk drawer. Anyone not trained in espionage or counter surveillance, like Claire or Udina, would have missed it.

"You what? Councilor, do the words political shit storm mean anything to you?" Udina wheezed.

"Don't have a cow, dickhead," Luke said standing slowly. "The council reinstated Claire's Spectre status and asked her to keep to the Terminus systems. Best situation."

"While I don't appreciate the juvenile insults, I can see how that would work for both parties, but you really shouldn't have taken this step without me Councilor," Udina said pinching his lower lip as his thought.

"I don't answer to you, Udina. Why don't you go to your office and think about that for awhile," Anderson snapped. Luke smirked. Anderson may have been a politician but he still had the bite of a soldier.

"Or course councilor, good day." With that, Udina exited the room.

"Good riddance," Claire spat.

"Udina's still sore that I got the council position instead of him, but he has his uses. He enjoys all those political events that I don't have the time for," Anderson said making his way to the balcony overlooking the presidium.

"You know you don't have to put up with all this," Claire started joining him. "Join my crew and help me stop the Collectors."

"I'm too old for that kind of thing Shepard. Besides, I've got important responsibilities here. Now, you two get going. I know you've got a mission to get back too. As much as I hate agreeing with the council, the sooner the Collectors are gone, the sooner we'll have you back in your dress blues," Anderson said placing a hand on Claire's shoulder. The statement caused Claire to smile before glancing over at Luke. Luke knew the thoughts in her head. When she went back, what would happen to him? He was officially a part of Cerberus. He led one of their most accomplished strike teams even against Alliance facilities. Luke wanted to assure he that he would be fine, that his true allegiance was to AEIS and Anderson, but that would put her in more danger and him.

"I look forward to coming home, sir," Claire said smiling and embracing her old captain. Anderson looked over at Luke and nodded his gratitude and winked. Luke knew he was safe to come back too, once the work was done; once his mission with AEIS was complete.


	31. Chapter 31

**Here's the next chapter. Again thank you to those of you that are reviewing, blue and general, you guys help me stay motivated and keep writing. Big thank you to BlackBeltDancer for bouncing ideas and helping me through my writer's block. As always, reviews and comments are very welcome. Enjoy!**

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Luke slipped down the stairs trying not to attract too much attention. He spotted Jack sitting on her cot still looking through the data pads and made his way over.

"The hell you want?" Jack snarled as he sat down on a crate.

"Just keeping you company," Luke said examining one of the pads and scrolling through it.

"Who the hell asked you too?" Jack snapped. "I don't need anyone."

Luke smirked and sat the pad down before leaning forward. "Everyone needs something," he whispered. "For right now, I just need a place to lay low."

"What the hell are you hiding from? Isn't your sister Captain?" Jack asked.

"Exactly. She's been trying to lecture me about my… serum problem, and Miranda has been tagging along behind to scold me about it. I just want to disappear until we get to Illium," Luke said leaning back against the wall.

"Whatever," Jack said turning back to the files.

Silence hung between them like an awkward neighbor as Jack read and Luke sat quietly. After almost an hour, Luke couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, tell me something about you. Like the ink, what are they for?" Luke asked motioning to her tattooed body.

"Why the hell do you care about this shit?" Jack asked dropping the data pad.

"I'm just trying to get to know you Jack. No big deal," Luke answered.

"Whatever, I guess I'll tell you… Why the hell not?" Jack said standing and leaning against the wall on the darker side of the room. "Some are for kills, you know the good ones, others for prisons I've been in, and the rest for… why the hell not."

Luke stripped his shirt revealing the tribal wolf on his chest and the N7 on his upper arm. "Got the N7 after Claire died. It was my fault so this reminds me not to let her down again, and the wolf… well, why the hell not?" Luke smirked as the hint of a smile pulled at the corner of Jack's lips. He flipped his shirt back over his head and folded his arms. "So, what are some of the better ones?"

"You ain't getting a look at those so easy asshole," Jack snapped. Luke had to admit he was a little lost for a moment before he realized how Jack must have taken it. He immediately busted out laughing almost to the point of tears.

"No… I mean the better kills. Stuff you've done, damn," Luke said catching his breath.

"Why do you want to know?" Jack asked.

"Just making conversation. I might have also tried to arrest you at some point," Luke said still trying to calm his fits of laughter.

"You? What you were a cop?" Jack asked looking him up and down.

"Yeah, I was a C-Sec agent for years before I joined up with Claire a couple years back. If you ever pulled anything on the Citadel, I might have chased you," Luke explained.

"You don't really want to know about this shit. You want something. Everyone always does," Jack said. Her voice had softened, as if she was remembering something that made her sad.

"I'm just curious. Look, you and I have some things in common. I might be one of the few people in the galaxy who's still alive that understands what you've been through. We're alive because we are strong," Luke said.

"There's no reason for me to be alive… but I am. Why? Instinct, and that's not gonna change. It's worked for me so far," Jack said approaching slowly.

"Jack, you're not alone anymore. You're one of us. Instinct is great, friends are better," Luke said leaning forward again.

"Look Luke, I don't talk about shit like this a lot, okay. So, piss off, and thanks for asking," Jack said sitting back down on her cot.

"Okay," Luke said standing. He started to leave but stopped just short of the stairs. "If you ever want to talk, I'll listen." Jack ignored him, but Luke could see she heard him, and might even take him up on it.

 _Maybe Garrus will hide me for a bit,_ Luke thought as he crept up the stairs and into the elevator.

000

Claire rubbed her temples as she finished up the second of five reports. She needed to file them all before they arrived at Illium, but she simply could not find the motivation.

The door opened and she quickly leaned back down hoping that if it was Miranda, she would leave her alone.

"Should I come back?" a two toned voice asked. Claire smiled brightly and leapt up from her seat.

"Thank God it's you. I was afraid you might have been Miranda," Claire said putting her arms around Garrus' neck.

"If you need a good scare, I can go get her," Garrus joked.

"You leave and I'll shoot you, Vakarian," Claire jested back.

They made their way down to Claire's couch and took a seat with Claire laying down with her head on the turian's lap. He stroked her hair and as she turned on her vid screen.

"Vid date?" Garrus asked pulling two small boxes out of his pockets. Claire saw that one was her favorite, an old-fashion sour-sweet candy from Earth, Sour-Patch Kids. The other was some Turian candy that Claire could not even figure out what it was called.

"Oh yeah… thank you for coming up. I really needed something to clear my head," Claire said accepting the candy and starting the vid. It was an older film from Palaven that Garrus had told her about, and she had promised to watch it with him the next time they had a chance.

"So what's on your mind?" Garrus asked.

"It's everything. How we're going to get through this mission. How I'm going to make sure everyone gets through it. How I'm going to explain everything to the court martial that's waiting for me back on Earth when this is over," Claire said counting them on her hand.

"You'll get us through. Every person on this ship believes in you. Of course, not as much as I do, but they can try," Garrus remarked. Claire giggled and reached up touching the turian's scarred face.

"I'm glad I found you again," Claire said smiling.

"I am too."

"I did have to save your ass," Claire jested.

"I think that makes us about even," Garrus responded tickling her side. Claire squealed and squirmed on the couch as Garrus continued to tickle her. After a few minutes, he let up allowing her to catch her breath as she sat up, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"When we get to Illium, I want you with me on the team for target one. I think I'm gonna send Luke with two members of his choice after target two," Claire said softly.

"Don't worry about the mission right now," Garrus said stroking her hair agan. "Just relax, enjoy your candy, and watch the vid with your boyfriend."

Claire smiled and closed her eyes. Garrus was right. At the moment, reports, the mission, Luke and the rest of the team, all of it could wait at least until the end of the vid.

000

Luke sat in the cockpit of the shuttle leaned back in the seat. They were headed for Illium which meant seeing Liara again after almost two years. She'd probably want to smack him around just as much as Claire did for getting mixed with the serum again, but she was more plugged in to what was happening on Illium than anyone else in the sector except for maybe the Shadow Broker.

Luke sighed and leaned forward punching up the communications channel. He knew he was going to regret this but they would need help with getting through Illium's customs and docking regulations.

"Hello," a familiar voice said as Liara appeared on the screen.

"Really? That's how you answer a call? Not with 'Dr. T'soni's Information Hub'? Where's the marketing and pizzazz?" Luke teased.

"Luke, is it true?" Liara asked smiling. Luke leaned back in his chair again and crossed his arms.

"I have no idea what you might be talking about," Luke fibbed innocently.

"Don't you dare mess with me right now, Luke Shepard! Was Cerberus successful? Is Claire back?" Liara asked.

"You'll see for yourself here pretty soon. We're on our way there, could you gather some information for me on our two targets. We're getting recruits together to go after the Collectors," Luke said forwarding the dossiers the Illusive Man had supplied Claire.

"I'll see what I can do. And forward me your ship's information. I'll make sure it goes mostly unnoticed at the docks," Liara said. Luke smirked. She was getting very good at her new job to be able to pull something like that off.

"I appreciate it. Oh, by the way, I've been tapped into Cerberus's ears for a while now, and I might have found something. I don't feel comfortable sending over an unsecure line. We'll be planet side in less than a day," Luke said smiling. It was going to be good to see Liara again. As much as he had befriended his team and the Cerberus crew, the original team members were always going to be his closest friends.

"See you then," Liara said ending the transmission. Luke smiled and shut down the communication system before heading to the back and popping the hatch.

"What were you doing in there?" Miranda said. Luke nearly jumped out of his skin. He launched himself backward instinctively and collided with the hatch on the other side.

"Judas Priest! Miranda, don't sneak up on people!" Luke shouted.

"Oh for the love of… just answer the question," Miranda said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"This is where I hide from everyone and everything. There's no judgment in there. No sister being disappointed that her brother is a relapsing idiot, no team who look at me like I just betrayed their trust, and no ex asking me bull shit questions," Luke snapped climbing up into the seat and rubbing the back of his head.

"Whatever. I was looking for you because I wanted to ask a favor, but obviously this isn't the time," Miranda turning and heading toward the elevator again. Luke slowly stood.

That was a little harsh. Miranda was just being curious, and she wanted a favor. That never happened. It must have been something big. Maybe even something Anderson needed to be made aware of.

"Wait, hold up," Luke shouted scrambling after her.

"What?" Miranda's voice had lost any warmth it had had and turned icy.

"I'm sorry. You know, for how I've been treating you. At first it was about the control chip, which I'm still a little pissed about by the way. But now, I think I'm more angry at myself and the universe in general. So, I'm sorry. What's the favor?" Luke asked. He knew he needed to mend bridges if he wanted to keep getting access to the Cerberus main data terminals.

"It's a personal matter… If you're not interested, I can talk to the Captain," Miranda said stepping into the elevator. Luke sighed and stepped in as well.

"Claire will probably want to know about it anyway. I know her. She'll want to help," Luke said pushing the button for Claire's cabin.

"My sister's in trouble," Miranda said shortly.

"Time out. Hold up. You have a sister?" Luke asked.

"Yes, genetically, she's my twin, but we were grown at different times. She was just a baby when we escaped from my father," Miranda said wringing her hands nervously.

"Let me guess, your father found her. You want to mount a rescue and get her back to her life before your father can corrupt her," Luke said crossing his arms.

"No, he hasn't found her yet, but he's close. She has no idea who her real father is or that she has a sister. She's living a normal life on Illium," Miranda explained.

"You want to move her before your father finds her. Establish a new home for her with her family from the shadows," Luke said crossing his arms.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but… she's only 19 Luke. She's barely an adult," Miranda pleaded.

"I'll help, no matter what Claire decides to do. But she'll probably want to lead the mission herself," Luke said as the doors opened. Luke knocked on the door loudly before palming the entry pad and opening the door. A smirk slipped across his lips as he spotted Garrus and Claire on the couch as credits ran across a vid screen.

"Luke, how are you feeling?" Claire asked sitting up and looking back at him. Garrus got up and nodded to Luke. The former partners clasped hands and embraced each other as the turian headed for the door.

"I'm good to go. Just gonna grab some grub before we go planet side," Luke said patting his stomach. Miranda stepped to his side looking rather nervous. "Acutally, Miranda had a favor to ask and after hearing what's going on, I think you should hear it first hand and make the call." Claire cocked her head to the side curiously as he spoke. He must have been confused as to why he was there especially because of his treatment of Miranda over the past few weeks.

"Alright, tell me what's going on," Claire said.

Miranda explained the situation with her father and sister. How her father was obsessed with his legacy, how he used his money and influence to have Miranda tailored to his liking. She explained about her sister and what she wanted to do to keep her out of her father's reach and all Claire did was listen. Only when Miranda finished explaining did Claire speak up.

"You had me at 'sister in trouble', just so you know," Claire answered standing and patting Miranda on the shoulder. "How immediate is the threat? Can she wait until we've found the other recruits?"

"As much as I want to get her out of there, we have at least two days before my father's men could find her," Miranda said. Claire nodded.

"Then we will find the recruits and then take care of Miranda's sister. Luke, I want you leading the team to go after target 2," Claire said.

"Captain, are you sure he has recovered enough?" Miranda asked.

"I'm fine. Who am I taking?" Luke asked. Amazed would have been an understatement. He half expected to be benched for at least a few weeks after his detox.

"That's up to you, but make it a small team. Two or three people. You're going after the assassin," Claire said patting her brother on the arm as she dismissed them. Luke smirked. He hoped to be on the team to recruit the drell hitman but had not expected this. Could Claire know about his history with the killer?


	32. Chapter 32

**So this one is a little more talking and planning than action but, before every awesome mission, there has to be plan... that will ultimately go wrong and everyone wings it, but hey, that's Mass Effect. Anyway, we get to see some of Liara in this one so enjoy. As always, please review and let me know what you thought.**

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Nos Astra reminded Luke of the old sci-fi movies from the twenty-first century. The buildings towered over the planet surface with shuttles and transit lines crisscrossing in mid air. The trade floor might as well have been an old bazaar market back on Earth with vendors and kiosks set up anywhere they could fit.

Before landing, Luke had managed to get a permit to carry their weapons for the whole crew from Liara but she had encouraged him to hide them anyway. Jack kept her sun glasses and shielded jacket on trying to conceal her identity and shotgun from prying eyes. Zaheed, on the other hand, wore his usual yellow and black armor under a long trench coat with his trusty rifle underneath. Luke had decided to go with a phantom undersuit and a collapsible eye piece under his ball cap. Old fashion jeans concealed combat knives strapped to his calf and his armored combat boots while his old hoodie concealed his thermal clips and Paladin in the shoulder holster.

They were quite a sight to see. Three misfits that didn't look like they belonged on the same planet, let alone in each other's company.

"So how the hell are we supposed to find an assassin in this place?" Zaheed asked looking around.

"Damned if I know," Jack responded.

"I have a contact here. I think she'll have some info on him. Why don't you two wait up in the bar down the street? Have a drink on me and I'll be there in a minute," Luke said sending them a few credits with his omni-tool.

"I like the way you think," Zaheed said smirking and heading down the street.

"Jack, try not to kill anyone," Luke said catching her arm gently.

"I'm trying," she growled looking down at his hand. Luke chuckled and let go before heading up toward Liara's office. Those two should be able to get along well enough not to kill each other, though the likely hood of the two of them starting a bar fight for fun made him feel slightly rushed to get the information he needed and get back to them.

As Luke approached the door, he could hear something going on inside but could not make out what was being said. Nodding to the receptionist, he slipped inside so as to not interrupt what was going on.

Liara threatened a man on the screen to the point that Luke thought he might have the wrong office. Her tone could have given that ice on Noveria a run for its money. Then came the true blood chilling moment.

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before?" Liara asked her client. There was a darkness in her voice and a shattering similarity to Benezia. It wasn't just the words, but the intent behind them, the killer instinct. "I'll make it simple. Pay me, or I fillet you alive with my mind." The call ended and Luke leaned against the wall crossing his arms.

"Remind me never to barrow anything from you," he said. Liara spun around upon hearing his voice and her eyes brightened.

"Luke! Nixeris, hold my calls," she exclaimed rounding her desk and embracing him. Luke laughed and hugged her back.

"It's good to see you face to face. What's it been? 2 years now?" Luke said releasing her and following her to the desk. He took a seat and leaned back.

"Far too long. Is Claire going to come and see me?" Liara asked.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you liked her more than me," Luke teased.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I like her better," Liara responded smiling widely.

"Ouch. I see how it is. Did you at least get the information we needed?" Luke asked.

"Of course. Thane Krios, the assassin. You will want to ask around the transit hub. Seryna is your contact. I don't think she hired him, but I know she supplied him with information. The target however is still a mystery," Liara informed him sending him a two second video of an asari handing something to Thane.

"Looks like an OSD. Blueprints of the location maybe, or it could be a full profile on the target. At least it's a lead. Thanks Liara," Luke said standing.

"Um…" Liara started. The sudden exclamation caused Luke to stop and turn around. Liara wrung her hands nervously. What could she be nervous about asking him?

"What's up?" Luke asked.

"Have you heard anything about Feron?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I found something. It was buried pretty deep, but my hacker is very good. Not quite as good as Tali but they can both take me to school," Luke said opening his omni-tool. He forwarded the file to Liara's data pad and waited for her reaction.

"This is encrypted communication from a Shadow Broker facility to the Broker himself. By the Goddess, Feron, he's… He's still alive. I have to run down this lead. If you can do me a couple favors while I'm working on this end, I would be eternally grateful," Liara said looking up on the verge of tears.

"You don't have to give me the puppy dog eyes. Send me a list of what you need done and it'll happen. Oh, and make sure to stick around long enough to see Claire and give her the info on Samara," Luke said patting her on the shoulder. Liara nodded and smiled. It looked like it was the first time in two years that Liara had been filled with joy and excitement at the same time. She must still care for Feron, even if he was a traitor.

Luke made his way down the street and up to the bar. Jack and Zaheed were at the bar talking to an asari. Zaheed sipped on a scotch while Jack as holding a beer. Luke smirked. He had Zaheed pegged as a scotch man, but Jack he thought would have been a tequila girl.

"Hey, you joining us or is it back to work?" Jack said raising her bottle as Luke approached.

"We've got a lead. I want to get on it before it gets too late. From what I know personally and his dossier, if Thane is pulling a job here, he'll wait for nightfall. I want to know where he's going to be before sunset," Luke said stepping up to the bar. As he did, he recognized the asari behind the counter.

"What can I get you?" the alien asked.

"Nothing, just gathering my friends. Got a party to get to," Luke said patting his companions on the shoulder.

"Shit, whatever," Jack said upending her drink before heading toward the door. Zaheed finished off his as well. He nodded to the asari before following Jack.

"Thanks," Luke said leaving a tip for the bartender.

"Come back soon hun," the alien replied winking at him. Luke smirked and followed his team.

Once they reached the transit station, it did not take long to find Seryna. She was a younger asari, maybe a few decades older than Liara, but still considered at maiden. At the mention of Thane, she immediately took Luke aside and out of earshot of anyone else.

"What do you want with him?" the asari asked.

"He's an old friend. I'm here to make sure he survives. I need his help. I know you gave him information. If you know who his target is, you need to tell me," Luke said looking around to make sure no one was paying to close attention.

"All I know is he's going in tonight, after Nassana Dantius in the Dantius Towers," Seryna said pointing to two large skyscrapers in the distance.

"It had to be Nassana Dantius. Damn," Luke said sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know her?" Seryna asked.

"In a way, I kind of helped get her fired from the asari embassy a while ago," Luke said crossing his arms as he looked out at the towers. "What are her defenses like? Are they more automated or does she prefer mercenaries? Is there an approach from the air we could use?"

The asari looked at him like he had suddenly grown a second head. Luke crossed his arms waiting for the answer but the alien would not speak.

"You're going after him?" she asked.

"To make sure he survives, just like I said. Any information will help," Luke said. He could tell the woman was conflicted about talking to him. There was a deep pain behind her eyes, and anger, overflowing anger. Nassana must have really hurt this girl.

"I'll take you there tonight at sunset, but you'll have to fight your way up the tower. The air defenses shoot down any shuttle that gets too close," Seryna said motioning to the top of the towers.

"Alright, sunset is in about 2 hours. We'll meet you here," Luke said shaking her hand and motioning for Jack and Zaheed to follow him.

"So, we going?" Zaheed asked.

"In 2 hours. Go back to the ship and get fully outfitted, and ask Miles and Katie to come with you. Tell them black armor, they'll understand," Luke said.

"Gotta have godamn wolves with us huh?" Zaheed growled.

"Wolves? The hell are you talking about?" Jack asked.

"Not here Zaheed. The only place their identities are not classified is on board the Normandy. Claire made that very clear. Now, get going," Luke said heading through a door toward the sky mall. He had some errands to run for Liara. He needed to hack a few terminals, kid stuff really, and locate a broker agent known as the Observer, a far more difficult task he was sure. At least he had a few leads.

000

The embrace Claire received could not have felt more welcoming. Liara seemed just as sweet as she remembered her, but there was something off about her.

"It is so good to see you Claire. You too Garrus," Liara said releasing Claire and embracing the turian as well. Claire caught Liara giving Miranda a rather nasty look but figured it was just the Cerberus emblem on her chest.

"How have you been Liara? You look great and it looks like you're doing pretty well for yourself," Claire stated as Liara sat down behind her desk.

"Well, being an information broker has paid the bills since…" Liara's voice trailed off. Claire couldn't tell if it was sorrow or shame in her eyes. It had to be sorrow, right? What could she have to be ashamed of? "I have even become quite good at it. I know you are here needing information on the Justicar Samara to recruit her for your mission against the Collectors through the Omega 4 relay."

Claire sat back in her chair. Liara really must have become very well informed if she knew not only what her mission was but who she was there looking for. "Wow…" Claire said smirking.

"Before you feel too impressed, Luke beat you here by about an hour," Liara smiling. Claire laughed. Liara's sense of humor had taken leaps and bounds since the SR1.

"Where can we find the Justicar?" Miranda asked. Claire sighed and glanced back at her. She understood Miranda was in a rush to finish the recruitment missions and get to saving her sister, but trying to rush them was going to get someone hurt.

"She's over in the industrial district working on tracking someone. My contacts say she is investigating something near the commercial docks involving the murder of a volus," Liara said sending Claire the nav-point.

"You are good," Claire said smiling.

As Claire got up to leave, she heard Liara's omni-tool ping an alert. Claire assumed it was another one of her contacts so she motioned for everyone to leave.

"Thank you for getting back to me," Liara said opening her omni-tool. Claire gave a little wave as she started out the door, but stopped the moment she heard the voice on the other end.

" _Don't sound so excited. I've been working on the leads you gave me but some of your info is bad. The Observer candidates you asked me to investigate are all broker agents, but their all male. The Observer is female. You know what that means,_ " Luke answered on the other end.

"Yes, I do," Liara responded.

" _Want me to handle it?_ " Luke asked. Claire raised an eyebrow. What could they possibly be talking about?

"No, I'll take care of it," Liara said. Claire could see her biotics starting to flare slightly. Liara disconnected the call and closed her omni-tool.

"What's going on? What's Luke helping you with?" Claire asked.

"A minor problem," Liara answered stepping up next to Claire and motioning for her assistant to come in. The moment the asari girl was in arms reach, Liara struck fast and mercilessly. The biotic strike shook the building itself and sent the girl to the ground. Claire knelt next to the girl and checked her pulse.

"She's dead… What the hell was that?" Claire snapped. Liara sighed and crossed her arms.

"Nixeris was a Shadow Broker agent sent to spy on me. If she had been told to kill me, she probably would have succeeded," Liara explained searching the woman's pockets and stripping the assistant's omni-tool of all data. She quickly stood and started going through the girl's desk and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked, but before Liara could answer Luke appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm guessing everything's sorted?" Luke asked.

"Yes it is," Liara answered smiling.

Claire looked between them a few times before palming her forehead. "Is there something I should know about?" Claire asked. She could feel the bond between the two of them. Like the old friends holding onto a big secret between them.

"Liara helped me find your body. She even came with me when we recovered you from the Shadow Broker, but a friend of hers was captured during the escape because I chose to go back for her, and not for him," Luke explained leaning against the wall.

"That's not like you. You never leave anyone behind," Garrus said looking over at his old partner. Claire nodded her understanding before turning to Liara.

"In my defense, Feron was a traitor. He told the Broker that we were coming. It was only a twist of fate that we got to you in time," Luke said. Claire sighed. Damn this got complicated fast.

"Yes but you made up for that," Liara stated. "Though, you didn't tell me you were working for Cerberus until we were already committed to the attack. You didn't tell me you were turning her body over to them until there was nothing I could do to stop you. Then you joined them willingly. I've kept track of you over the past two years. I know the things you've done and everything you've sacrificed," Liara said sadly. Claire could see Luke's face soften, almost ashamed, but his eyes and the feeling churning in her stomach made her think he was more scared than anything.

"Not here Liara. Besides, we're getting Feron back. We have everything we need," Luke said taking a few steps up the stairs.

"Please, would you two stop talking in riddles?" Claire said.

"I think I get it," Garrus said. "And it's not something to be discussed in front of Cerberus. No offense."

Claire looked over at her boyfriend and say him nodding to Luke knowingly. If Garrus understood and was giving Luke a nod, certainly it couldn't have been that bad.

"Okay, just make sure nothing interferes with the mission," Claire said pinching the bridge of her nose. She collected her thoughts and turned to Luke. "Any word on Thane?"

Luke smiled and nodded. "I know where he is going to be tonight, but trust me. In the middle of a job, if we get in the way, he'll kill us," Luke answered. "I'll trail along behind him and ensure his survival. Keep securities focus on me and my team which is why I sent Zaheed and jack back to get fully outfitted and grab Miles and Katie. We'll need the extra muscle."

"Sounds like a plan. Green light," Claire said nodding to Luke. He was doing well for being fresh out of the med bay. She could tell he was a little tired but it was Luke. He'd never admit it.

"Liara, let me know when you have a location before tomorrow afternoon. I'll stop by your apartment and we can go over the intel," Luke said giving the group a small wave before heading back out into the street.

Claire looked back at Liara as the blue alien smiled from ear to ear still searching through her assistant's desk. Knowing she would only get in the way of an investigation like this, Claire gave Liara a quick hug and thanked her for the information on Samara before scurrying off with Garrus and Miranda in tow. They would need to move fast if they wanted to catch the Justicar before she left again.


	33. Chapter 33

**Time to recruit Samara. I hope you guys like it. I know i just posted not that long ago but, hey, why not? thank you to everyone who is commenting and reviewing. It really does make my day, thank you. Enjoy!**

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Claire and her team had only handed about twenty minutes earlier and were already mere steps away from the Justicar. The asari, even Claire had to admit, was gorgeous, and the raw power she used on the eclipse mercs could only be described as awe inspiring. She wielded no gun to kill half a dozen soldiers, only biotics. The way she spoke reminded Claire more of a Medieval knight than a female warrior.

The brutality of her attacks explained a lot about why she was so closely watched, and why the local precinct had been so keen to get her out of their district. Garrus had had a different theory about the police's motivations for getting rid of the Justicar, but Claire hoped he was wrong.

"Greetings, I am Samara of the Justicar Code. My quarrel is not with you, but you approach me well armed. Are we friend or foe?" Samara asked closing the distance between them.

"Friend, definitely friend," Garrus said. Claire shook her head glancing back at him.

"I'm Captain Shepard of the Normandy. I'm here to recruit you for a mission against the Collectors. Its suicidal odds and I need the best. You're among them," Claire stated in a completely business tone.

"I sense the truth in what you say and it humbles me, however, I seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive. I cannot stop my investigation until I have captured her," Samara said looking back at the dead mercs. "I cornered her here, but the eclipse sisters smuggled her off world and the trail grows cold. I must find the name of the ship she left on."

"I wish you were willing to go with the human, Justicar. My orders are to take you into custody if you won't leave," a detective said stepping inside.

"Anaya, you know this is a bad idea," Garrus said facing the asari detective. She was the detective that told them about her superior's orders to get Samara to leave.

"You risk a great deal following your orders. Fortunately, I will not have to resist. The code requires that I cooperate with you for one day, but then I will return to my investigation." The Justicar's words caught Claire by surprise but also slammed her in the gut. This was going to be bad. Police procedures were long and complicated, as she had learned from Luke and Garrus. One day would not be enough time, and even if by some miracle it was, Samara was not going to leave without answers.

"Wait, I think I know a way where everyone can stay true to their code and orders, but we all get what we want," Claire said forcing all eyes to turn to her. "Samara, if you will go with the detective and wait at the station, I will continue your investigation for you. Detective, hold off on processing her or trying to make her leave until I return. Once I'm back with the information, I'll help you track this fugitive while you help me on my mission," Claire explained.

"That works for me," the detective said looking over at Samara.

"That is acceptable," Samara added.

"Good," Claire said smiling before turning to Miranda and Garrus. "Let's get to work. Garrus, head to the station and see what you can dig up. Miranda, contact EDI and see what the two of you can find on smuggling ships that have left here. I'll investigate around the docks and see what I can find."

000

The team met up again after half an hour. The sky started to darken as the sunset and Claire found her mind wondering. Thinking about Luke and if his mission had started yet.

"Alright, so I found multiple cases involving the eclipse mercs but nothing involving a fugitive. I did find the location of their local base and confirmation that they have control of the top brass of the local departments," Garrus said scanning through his notes.

"EDI and I came up with nothing on the fugitive except for a business relationship with a volus named Pitne For," Miranda added.

"I found him over there with some merchandise I think is stolen. I convinced him to hand over his access to the Eclipse base, but he only handles smuggling red sand and weapons to Illium. Nothing off world," Claire said sighing.

"Looks like we're going to have to go and have a chat with the Eclipse sisters ourselves," Garrus said smirking. Claire was hoping to avoid having to attack the eclipse stronghold but it looked like that didn't have much of a choice. If they wanted Samara to come with them, they needed that ship name. To get the ship name, they needed to get it from the eclipse files or their commander.

"Don't look so excited Garrus," Claire said giving him a playful shove.

Garrus led them through the back streets and down multiple elevators before the arrived at the base. Claire peaked around the corner of the elevator and spotted several mercenaries running about and taking positions behind cargo crates.

"Looks like they were expecting us," Claire said pulling her assault rifle. Miranda drew her SMG and Garrus flipped the safety off his sniper rifle. "Keep to cover. Sweep and clear. Garrus, you're our eyes. Keep an eye out for any evidence the police could use to close any of their cases against the mercs. Miranda, use your biotics to make them regret hiding behind anything that can move."

The team sprung forward as Claire covered them. Miranda launched several crates at the enemy giving them enough cover for Claire and Garrus to move up.

"You want wounds for interrogation?" Garrus asked peering through his scope.

"Pitne For told me that every Eclipse merc has to make a kill before they get their uniform. Standard rules of engagement. If fired on, shoot to kill," Claire said firing a burst so Miranda could move up.

"Sounds like a plan," Garrus said firing.

Claire glanced around the crate she was using fro cover and waited for a lull before moving up. She sighed and opened her omni-tool. She may not have had as much practice with her biotics as she would have wanted, but they would probably come in handy since they were fighting an entire base. She flipped the settings on the inhibitors to amplifiers and gathered the energy into her palm, just like Luke had showed her. True she could only use that basic skills like throw or pull, but they might be enough to turn the tables in her favor. Claire roared as she launched the ball of biotic energy at a merc. The attack made contact and hurled the enemy backward so hard that she flew nearly 60 feet backward and slammed into the wall, leaving a blood splatter and a dent.

"Spirits! I didn't know you had gotten that good," Garrus shouted firing another round.

"Neither did I," Claire shouted back. In all honesty, she had been trying to hit the crate the merc was standing behind but this worked out too.

000

Claire watched the Eclipse commander Wasea pace behind her desk. There was a brutality about her that gave her an intimidating presence. Claire knew she would not go down as easily as the other mercs did.

"Everything's gone to hell since we smuggled that filthy creature off world," the commander said finishing her drink.

"Tell what ship she left on and her destination and we'll leave," Claire shouted keeping her finger on the trigger of her rifle.

"Not likely, but at least I can take pleasure in turning your head into a pulpy mass!" Her biotics flared and sent crates hurtling toward them. Miranda had to dive out of the way as Garrus took cover, but Claire simply side stepped. It appeared Wasea was hoping Claire would move into the path of the crates.

"Garrus?" Claire asked leveling her rifle.

"No joy," Garrus responded.

"Hard way then," Claire responded.

The team charged forward as more mercs entered the chamber. Claire motioned for Miranda to handle them and jumped at Wesea.

The asari knocked Claire's rifle away and tried to hit her with a biotic punch, but Claire ducked and delivered a fast jab to the asari's side. Claire knew normal punches and kicks would not do anything against the biotic expert, but if she could manage to channel some of her biotics into her fighting, she might be able to win, or at least stall long enough for Garrus to get a shot.

Claire managed to put a small biotic field around her hand and slugged the asari across the face forcing her back, but Wesea immediately responded with a kick to Claire's side knocking the wind out of her. Claire threw a small throw that did little more than push Wasea back but the report of a sniper rifle was all Claire had to hear to know it was over.

The merc commander crumpled to the floor with a hole in her head as purple blood poured out. Garrus sprinted to Claire's side and checked her over to make sure she was whole, but Claire stopped him. She smiled and kissed the turians forehead.

"I'm fine Garrus. Good shot," she said turning to see Miranda finishing off the last merc with a biotic slam.

"Just like old times," Garrus said stowing his rifle.

"The combat?" Claire asked.

"Me saving that cute ass," Garrus responded. Claire blushed and headed for the desk where Wasea had been standing and looked through the data pads and papers. She came across one showing they were contracted to Nassana Dantius and nearly two hundred men were stationed in her towers. A little over kill but if someone was paranoid enough…

"Got it, the AML Demeter. Let's get all this evidence to the police and tell Samara the good news," Claire said waving everyone to follow.

000

Claire stepped into the police office and march directly up to Samara. She did not want to delay. She had not expected the mission to take over four hours. They would have to put off securing Miranda's sister until the morning.

"You're fugitive left on the AML Demeter. We can track it back on the Nromandy," Claire said handing Samara the datapad.

"Shepard, you impress me. As you have fulfilled your part of the bargain, I will fulfill mine," Samara said standing and turning to the detective. "I am ready to leave immediately if that will satisfy your superiors."

"You're free to go. It was an honor, you know, not getting killed," Anaya said smiling.

"Well, I think we are about to make your day a whole lot better," Claire said motioning to Garrus. The turian took a small stack of datapads from his nearly empty ammo pack and set them on her desk.

"What's all this?"

"The Eclipse files with proof that they are responsible for hundreds of crimes and proof of their relationship with Pitne For. It should be enough to keep the streets clean for a few months," Claire said patting the stack softly.

"Hell, Captain. I think you just made my week. I can file it under an anonymous source so it's admissible in court. Thanks Shepard. This is a huge help," the detective said reaching across the desk to shake her hand. Claire nodded and turned back to Samara.

"Ready to go?" Claire asked.

"I must first swear myself to your service so I will never be forced to choose between the code and your orders," Samara said as her eyes turned a pale white and she knelt before Claire bowing her head. "By the code I will serve you. Your choices are my choices. Your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code." Upon completion, her biotics flared a brilliant blue and the warrior stood.

"I can see this is a really big deal for you Samara. I'm truly honored," Claire said bowing her head slightly.

"If you business is concluded, shall we return to your ship?" Samara asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I don't know about the rest of you, but I need a meal and shower," Claire said motioning for everyone to follow her as she headed toward the door.

With her mission done, she started thinking about Luke and what he was doing. No doubt he was already on his way if not on site for his own mission. A five man team to recruit an assassin, seemed like enough as long as they were not taking on an army.

"Hey Garrus, do you know where Luke was going to find Krios?" Claire asked as they climbed into a shuttle.

"No idea," Garrus said. Miranda opened her omni-tool and opened a radio channel.

"EDI, did Operative Shepard file a pre-mission briefing?" she asked.

 _"_ _He did. Operative Shepard and his team will be infiltrating the Dantius Towers and working their way up behind Thane Krios to draw attention away from him. I can send you the full briefing if you wish,"_ EDI reported.

"Did he list how strong he thought the enemy force was going to be?" Claire asked remembering the memo on Wasea's desk.

 _"_ _He believed that Nassana Dantius had hired extra security on top of her automated security, but appraiser their numbers as manageable,"_ EDI responded.

"Luke will be fine. He had Miles, Katie, and Zaheed with him," Miranda said.

"No to mention Jack," Garrus added. Claire glanced back at Miranda and saw the girl clench her jaw at the mention of the biotic.

 _"_ _Operative Shepard reported half an hour ago that his team was going radio silent for the operation,"_ EDI added.

"I guess it's up to him," Claire said, but her worry was overwhelming. Luke was still recovering. She had hoped Luke would have had the easier job. Some security mechs and a few overpaid security guards would be a good therapy to get him back in action, but with the Eclipse mercs in play, that was different.


	34. Chapter 34

**THANE! I really have been looking forward to this. Other than Garrus, Thane is one of my favorite characters. I also included a little of the Lair of the Shadow Broker told a little differently. Hope y'all like it. Reviews are always welcome and brighten up my day. Thanks to everyone who is following and reading. Enjoy!**

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Luke and his team held to cover as the mercs and mechs rained fire down on them. The mission had gone six different kinds of wrong from the second they landed. Workers were being executed inside forcing Luke to send his team in guns blazing on the ground floor. He had hoped to at least make it to an elevator he could override before they realized they were there.

"We got their godamn attention! Now what?" Zaheed shouted firing blindly over a crate.

"I'm thinking," Luke responded.

"Think faster, boss!" Miles shouted back firing his pistol.

Luke looked around for a moment as his hand reached for his pocket instinctively. He cursed himself for doing it, but clenched his fist. If he had the serum, he could have ripped their enemies apart all on his own, but now… Wait, biotics. He may not have been as powerful as he was on the serum, but with Jack and Miles there with him, they could lay down a barge of biotics, like a biotic artillery strike.

"Jack, Miles, I've got an idea. We need to use our biotics. Everything we've got and attack. Zaheed, Katie, cover us as best you can. If he can make our warps and throws collide near the enemy, the biotic detonation would be big, but if we did a ton all at the same time-" Luke didn't get the chance to finish.

"We could wreck their shit! Hell yeah!" Jack shouted. Luke smirked and looked over at Miles.

"You ready?" Luke asked.

"Let's kick ass," Miles responded.

The three biotics launched themselves out of cover and charged forward hurling everything from warps to throws. Anything the three missed, Zaheed picked off with his rifle while Katie overloaded a group of mechs standing separate from victims of the teams biotics. In less than six seconds, it was over.

"Shit, the worked good," Jack said slapping Luke on the back.

"Yeah but now we've got to get to the top. Thane is probably half way there by now," Luke said signaling for Katie to hack the building's systems. After two years of working together, he knew she would get him everything he wanted. He had gotten better at hacking, but programming had really become his strong suit. He could create programs more sophisticated than most VI's but when it came to hacking systems, Katie had him beat.

"So, what's the plan? We can't stay here. The mercs will have more troops on their way down to wipe us out," Miles said collecting a few thermal clips from a dead merc. Zaheed did the same, replenishing their spent supply.

"There's bound to be more workers stuck on the upper floors. They'll be our priority. I know Thane and he won't kill any civilians, but he won't help them escape either. He might keep them out of the way, but evacuating them would jeopardize his job," Luke said heading toward the door to the staircase. Katie unlocked the door and the team headed in and up.

"But our mission is to recruit Krios. Shouldn't that be the priority?" Katie asked.

"Thane is the second most skilled assassin I've ever met. These idiots won't get him. If we get to the top of the towers, we'll find him. He'll be curious about us being here and come talk," Luke said opening the next door and moving through.

"How do you know so much about this guy?" Miles asked.

"Yeah Shepard, what the hell's with that?" Jack asked.

Luke sighed as he peaked around the next corner. "Ten years ago, Thane was on the Citadel. I caught a case that he was mixed up in. Almost caught him too," Luke said turning down the hall and taking cover behind a crate.

"Hey, you said you met him," Zaheed said aiming his rifle to provide cover.

"I did meet him. We had a long talk. I wouldn't really call him a friend, but he's a good man," Luke said moving forward again.

"An assassin and a good man? How do those fit?" Miles asked.

"You'll see when you meet him," Luke answered.

000

Nassana Dantius' office looked a lot like Udina's old office in the embassy, except with mercs. Three very well trained Eclipse mercs stood with their weapons strained on Luke and his team as they faced off. The asari's eyes narrowed when she saw Luke and she crossed her arms.

"So you got board on the Citadel, Detective? Decided to hunt me down?" she asked.

"I'm not here for you, Nassana," Luke replied looking around the room. There were at least seven entry points that Thane could use, but the most likely was the vent right above his asari target.

"And yet, you tore my towers apart and slaughtered my security," Nassana spat.

"We needed a work out, but since when do you hire such weak idiots for your security," Luke asked motioning to the guards surrounding her. "We could have done this twice."

"I'm sure you find this all very amusing. First, you get me fired and kicked off the Citadel, and now you are here to kill me. Who sent you? I'll double what they're paying you," Nassana snarled.

"Oh for the love of… I told you. I'm not here for you," Luke said. He heard a small scrapping sound above him in the ducts. Normally he would have brushed it off as a simple change in the air speed, but with Thane… To find the Drell, He needed to pay attention to every whisper, bump, shadow, and spine tingle around him.

"You want triple, I can do that!" Nassana snapped angrily.

"All the credits in the world won't make this go away Nassana. And honestly, I wouldn't stop it even if I could," Luke said seeing the grate in the ceiling move aside.

"What are you talking about? Of course you can stop it!" the Asari hissed slamming her hands down on the desk before pulling her pistol.

"No, I can't," Luke said shortly. The moment he spoke. A drell dropped from the duct and snapped a necks neck like it was nothing. Another sudden move crushed the second's windpipe causing them to collapse to the floor. Drawing his pistol in a quick fluid motion, he fired a single shot through the head of the last merc before spinning and catching Nassana's gun and pressing the barrel into her chest. There was a half second where Nassana simply looked up before the muffled shot sprayed purple blood across the room. The asari groaned in pain as her killer lay her down on the desk and crossed her arms over her chest.

Luke waited. He knew what came next. The drell folded his hands and bowed his head. Same old Thane.

"What's he doing?" Jack ask.

"Praying for the wicked," Luke answered before approaching.

The drell looked up at him before circling the desk. His olive black eyes scanned Luke's face as a smile crossed his lips.

"It is good to see you again, Detective," Thane said putting his hands behind his back.

"I left C-Sec a long time ago Thane, but I've got a job that needs to be done and we need the best," Luke said signaling for his team to search the room. Despite the Cerberus funding for the mission, Luke knew they would need some extra credits, especially if the Illusive Man ever found out about his duel allegiance.

"Indeed," Thane said looking around as the team worked.

"Heard of the Collectors?" Luke asked.

"By reputation only," Thane responded.

"Their abducting human colonies all across the Terminus, and we're going to stop them," Luke said crossing his arms.

"Attacking the Collectors means jumping through the Omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from that. It's impossible," Thane said.

"Captain Claire Shepard, my sister, is in charge. She's made a career out of the impossible," Luke answered.

"That sounds good," Thane said clearing throat. Luke had never seen Thane do that, and come to think of it, he was faster the last time the met. It might have been age but there was something off about him.

"Are you alright? You don't seem like yourself," Luke asked.

"I'm dying, but it will not interfere with what must be done," Thane answered.

"Hold up. What do you mean you're dying?" Luke asked turning to the drell.

"We can discuss it more on the ship, but I will work with you on this. No charge," Thane said shaking Luke's hand.

"Did you ever think we would be on the same team?" Luke asked smiling as the team headed toward the door.

"I should be interesting," Thane said.

Luke smirked and checked his omni-tool and opened his radio channel. There was a message from Liara saying something about the data he gave her. The message was encrypted both in code and in a letter cipher. This must have been something really important.

"Why don't you five head back to the ship? I have something I need to check on," Luke said running his decryption program and cipher breaker.

"I could tag along if you want," Miles offered.

"I need to you file the mission report for the Illusive Man and Claire. I might not be back for a little while," Luke answered reading the decrypted message. It was short and to the point. 'My apartment now.' This might not be good. What if she needed help?

"If someone asks, where should we tell them you're going?" Miles asked.

"If Claire or Garrus asks, tell them I needed to go see an old friend. If anyone else asks, tell them you don't know," Luke said closing his omni-tool and turning back to the office. Nassana must have had a skycar he could confiscate. Hopefully, something fast.

Sure enough, in a lower garage, Luke found a TZ-3000, one of the fastest, and most expensive, sky cars in production. Luke jumped in and hotwired the vehicle. The vehicle shot in to the sky and veered toward the market district where Liara lived.

As he landed on the platform for her apartment complex, Luke heard his omni-tool ping a radio signal. Luke opened it and found Miranda looking back at him.

"Miranda, what's up?" Luke asked as he climbed out.

"Where are you? You were supposed to help with my sister," Miranda snapped.

"I can't make it. Besides, Claire has it sorted. You can trust her," Luke responded.

"I was hoping to count on you," she added. Luke sighed. He knew that tone. He had disappointed her. Maybe now she knew how it felt when he found out about the control chip. As much as he really did want to help her, Liara sent him the message and only him. She needed his help.

"Miranda," Luke started. He needed to make a clean cut. He had the access he needed in Cerberus. As far as his mission went, she could not be of anymore use to him, but he also didn't want to hurt her. "I'm sorry. I won't be back in time. You'll have to count on Claire to help." Without waiting for a response, Luke cut the line and isolated his omni-tool, making him impossible to track. He didn't need anyone busting in on his operation.

Luke spotted a police car outside and jogged inside to the elevator. He took the lift up to Liara's floor and headed in.

The apartment crawled with police and investigators. Luke smirked and opened his omni-tool. He had a program that identified him as an investigator for the police so he could show a badge. It had come in handy a few times before.

"Hey, you can't be here," an officer said stopping him at the door.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I'm the new tech," Luke said holding up his omni-tool with the badge and identification.

"I didn't hear about a new tech, definitely not a human one. Whatever, the ID checks out. Get to work," the officer said. Luke nodded and headed inside. He ran a quick scan. The window showed evidence of two rifle shots and there was a hand print nearby. No blood. Liara had not been hit. Thank God.

Luke moved to the study and looked through her desk, but there was nothing there except a piece of Claire's armor in a glass case. He sighed remembering their mission to Noveria. Liara was there for him and risked her life again and again to save him and Claire both. Whatever she needed, Luke owed her that and more.

Luke moved to the bedroom and found a picture of the old team with the SR1 behind them. It was a good memory. He reached out and picked it up, but upon his touch, the image changed to a Prothean ruin. Luke smirked. _Clever Liara, clever. Keying the decryption program to my DNA. Something I would do to pass a message._

"Find something?" someone asked from behind him.

"Just a picture," Luke said setting it back down. He turned to see an asari with blue armor and a spectre symbol on her shoulder. Luke was caught somewhat off guard. He never expected to find a spectre on Illium other than Claire.

"I see. Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Recon. Make sure to fill me in on anything you do happen to find," the spectre said. Luke nodded obediently and headed back to the main area. Liara must have wanted him to look for something Prothean in her apartment, but the last thing he was going to do was share information with a spectre who was outside her jurisdiction. For all he knew, she worked for the Shadow Broker.

He spotted the Prothean artifact in a case much like the one that contained Claire's armor. He glanced around to make sure he was not going to be seen and palmed the maintenance panel. A small compartment opened revealing a data disk. Luke snatched it and slipped it into his pocket. He'd watch it in the skycar.

000

The disk had guided him to Barrier Frontiers, where Liara was meeting her contact, a salarian named Secat. The office officially worked as a data analysis firm, but it had ties to a few mercenary group. Luke could understand someone from a corrupt company being in Liara's pocket. He landed and hoped out, hoping he wasn't too late to catch her. He sprinted inside and into an elevator.

As he turned around, he spotted a gold skycar touch down and the asari spectre step out. Had she followed him? It confirmed in his mind that she was not a potential ally. She might have even been the one who took a shot at Liara.

Luke had to get inside and fast. If Liara didn't know that this Vasir person was after her, she could get blindsided.

The doors opened and Luke rushed forward brushing past a few security guards. Luke slipped through the doors and took a quick glance at the office directory. Secat's office sat back in a corner of the building overlooking the lobby.

Luke opened the door with security hot on his tail as he rushed into the office, but Liara was nowhere to be found, only a salarain Luke could only assume was Secat. Luke closed the door behind him and circled the desk.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the salarian asked.

"You're Secat, right?" Luke asked.

"Yes."

"I'm a friend of Liara T'Soni. I believe you have some information for her," Luke said extending his hand.

"She said I wasn't to give it to anyone but her," Secat protested. Luke sighed. Liara was definitely inspiring loyalty either through pure fear or her people really cared for her that much. Of course, in the spy game, most people didn't really care about much.

"Then hold on to it until she gets here but allow me to protect you until she does," Luke said. "There're people coming for that info who aren't willing to ask for it. They will kill you for it."

Suddenly, the entire building shook as massive explosions ripped though the second, third, and fourth floors. Luke braced himself and caught the salarian, keeping him from falling.

"We've got to move!" Luke shouted opening the door. He spotted a squad of soldiers with white and black armor coming toward them, executing anyone that survived the fire and explosions.

"What do we do?" Secat asked.

"Follow me and stay low," Luke said leading him to the office at the very end of the hall.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we be escaping?" Secat protested as Luke forced him to the floor behind the desk.

"This is a trained unit. They're sweeping and clearing each room and that takes time, but it's really thorough. Our only chance is to get behind them and make our way down to the exit.

"You have a gun, just kill them," Secat snarled.

"If I start shooting, the enemy is going to know exactly where we are. Trust me, quiet is the way to go," Luke said peeking out the window to the lobby.

Luke ran through several plans in his head but none of them ended with either of them escaping with the data. If only Claire was there, she'd know what to do.

Suddenly, the door opened behind him. Luke turned pulling his pistol, but someone already had him in a biotic hold and slammed him against the wall. Vasir smiled up at him as Luke's vision blurred slightly.

"I know you were one of her agents the minute you opened you mouth. Where is your boss?" Vasir snapped. Luke smirked looking her straight in the eyes.

"My boss is the Illusive Man," Luke said hardening his eyes. Vasir looked confused for moment. "I was sent to get T'soni's info before the broker could intercept it. It would have worked if you hadn't scared her off." Luke hoped the bluff would work. He had been 'bull shitting' his way though tighter situations than this for years as a cop and an operative, but bluffing an asari spectre in the broker's pocket was a completely different task.

"How did you know about the disk in her apartment? The thing wouldn't have opened for just anyone," Vasir accused. Lue could tell she was starting to buy it but needed more convincing.

"Cerberus recruited me because I'm a hacker and a damned good one, now if you would be so kind as to put me back on the floor, we can talk about this," Luke said nodding toward the floor.

"Well…" But before Vasir had time to thing about it, a shot ripped though one of her men's head before a biotic blast sent the others screaming out the window to the lobby floor.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Liara screamed aiming at Vasir's head. Luke felt the hold on him weaken and quickly broke free with his own biotic burst. Vasir dove across the desk catching Secat around the waist and falling out the window.

"Shit! He still has the data," Luke shouted leaping over the ledge after the spectre. Luke could hear Liara come over the ledge after him. They both used their biotics to land lightly and took off running after Vasir. They rounded the corner leading to the main landing pad just in time to see Vasir shoot Secat in the head.

"No!" Liara shouted. Vasir smirked at them as she jumped in her sky car and took off.

"Come on, jump in the TZ-3000," Luke said leaping into the driver's seat. Laira hesitated for a moment before slipping into the passenger seat.

"Where did you get this?" Liara asked.

"Nassana Dantius didn't need it anymore," Luke said throwing the throttle forward and speeding up after Vasir.

"Goddess, did you learn how to drive from your sister?" Liara asked grabbing hold of the dashboard and the ceiling.

"Actually, I think it's just in the blood," Luke said maneuvering the car through the traffic as they gained on Vasir.

"We need to force her to land," Laira said pointing the pads below them. Luke smirked as they closed the distance.

"No, we don't. Take control and open the canopy," Luke said pulling his pistol.

"What are you doing?"

"Something crazy, and maybe a little stupid," Luke answered climbing up so his head, chest, and arms were outside the sky car. He took aim and opened fire trying to hit the power core on Vasir's car. The vehicle started to slow and Luke climbed the rest of the way out and pulled his knife.

"Luke, get back in here!" Liara pleaded, but the second Vasir's car was close enough. Luke leapt on top and jammed his knife into the canopy and fired two shots straight down into the spectre through the glass. Using his biotics, he pried the canopy open and slipped into the car taking control.

"Who are you?" Vasir asked as Luke landed the car.

"I'm sure you've heard of me," Luke said searching her armor and pulling a data disk from her pocket. "So has the broker. He'd probably know me from Noveria."

"Noveria… no, it can't be. You can't be one of them," Vasir said trying to get her door open.

"I'm Alpha of the Wolf Pack, and the last person you will ever see," Luke said putting his gun to her temple and firing. He hated doing things like that, but if he hesitated, he might not be able to do it. Vasir needed to die. She could warn the Broker about what happened and that would put Liara in even more danger.

Climbing out slowly, Luke watched Liara land their car. He smirked and tossed her the data disk as she approached.

"I think that is all we need to find the Broker right?" Luke said crossing his arms.

"Yes, this is everything. We can find Feron and finally put that bastard broker in the ground," Laira said loading the disk into her omni-tool.

Luke opened his omni-tool again and patched into a comm channel for the Normandy. He hoped Claire and Miranda were gone on Miranda's side job so he wouldn't get a lecture for not being in contact. Lucky for him, Joker answered.

" _Hey Luke, long time no see_ ," Joker asked.

"Hey Joker, you think you could send a shuttle to my coordinates and pick me up?" Luke asked.

" _Sure, what'd you do? Loose the dragon lady's sky car?_ " Joker asked.

"Something like that," Luke answered.

" _Just as a head's up, Miranda is pissed at you. I'd say more but you know, angry biotic chick and brittle bones guy don't mix,"_ Joker said.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to stand behind you when she comes after me," Luke replied.

" _Yeah, great, just what I needed. I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut."_

"Ask EDI to hide you," Luke jested.

" _Never ask ship-cancer to hide anything. It never ends well."_


	35. Chapter 35

**Okay, so I know I haven't posted on this fic in a while, but the muse just struck me so I'm back. Hopefully it will stay with me this time and I can keep this fic going. Anyway, hope you guys like it and sorry about the long wait on the update. Enjoy!**

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Claire watched as Miranda talked with her sister. Though they needed to get moving, she did not want to ruin a family reunion. She sincerely hoped to get to see Mallory soon. Although, with both her and Luke working with/for Cerberus, there's no telling what Mal might say when next they saw her.

Garrus stepped up next to Claire and cleared his throat nodding toward the police arriving on scene. Luckily, they were not landing at the boarding platforms but in the baggage area.

"I know. We need to move. Send Miranda a ping on her omni-tool. Hopefully she'll understand," Claire said moving toward the exit. Although she surely could explain their presence to the police and maybe walk away with a fine, it would eat up extremely valuable time. Time they could not spare.

"Claire, have you seen the news bands?" Garrus said sending Miranda the ping and Claire the leading story in Nos Astra.

"I'm sure our little escapade made the…" her voice stopped working almost immediately as she skimmed through the article next to a picture of a massive building with smoke bellowing from the shattered windows. Two smaller pictures caught her eye as well. One was a dead Asari Spectre according to the caption and the other was a picture of the inside of the building with dozens of bodies.

"I don't know what that looks like to you, but that looks like a Luke Shepard special to me," Garrus said looking out the exit for any sign of trouble.

"We don't know that," Claire said. "Let's get back to the Normandy and we can figure things out from there."

Miranda found her way through the crowd to them and turned back, waving to her sister before the trio slipped out the door. They concealed their weapons and slipped onto the public transit shuttle toward the trade floor. Making their way to the ship would be simple from there with very little security.

"Did the visit go well?" Claire asked.

"Yes, it did, but I'd rather not discuss it with so many ears around. If you want more detail, we can talk back on the ship," Miranda offered. There was less hostility compared to her normal tone. It was strange. Miranda's sister appeared to have a calming effect on her 'clone sister' Claire found somewhat pleasant. She made a note to encourage Miranda to continue contact with her sister when they talked.

The rest of the trip was relatively quiet as the team made their way through the busy market and up the boarding tube to the airlock. Claire expected to find Kelly and Joker in a tizzy trying to coordinate everything, but the ship seemed calm.

"Joker, everything okay?" Claire asked.

"Well, we have an asari justicar, or aka 'Biotic powerhouse hotty', in the same room as an extremely skilled biotic assassin. What could possibly go wrong? I'm just glad the ship isn't rocking… you know in the bad way," Joker answered. Clair smirked shaking her head.

"Let's get out of here. Is everyone back on board?" Claire asked.

"Yup, everyone plus one," Joker said.

Claire was about to ask when she saw Luke approaching with Liara right behind him. He had obviously not changed or cleaned his armor yet. He was covered in ash, char marks, and several different shades of blood. He had obviously seen more action after leaving the Dantius towers.

"Claire, I've got a mission. It's a big one," Luke said.

"You have a mission?" Miranda started stepping forward. But Claire raised her hand to silence her and dismissed her team. She knew Luke must have had something extremely important if he was willing to be within shouting distance of Miranda. Besides, getting Liara on a Cereberus ship must have taken something very big.

"I can't tell you everything, but it is very important. All I need is a shuttle with three days of rations and four full loads of ammo for myself, Liara, and a couple members of the Pack," Luke stated.

"That's a lot of supplies for a secret mission based out of my ship. Can't you give me a destination?" Claire asked.

"Not this time," Luke said lowering his gaze. "Not that I don't want to, it's just…"

Luke didn't say anymore. Withholding information, in the Alliance or otherwise, never ended well for the boots on the ground. Luke had to know that. He must have been in several similar situations with C-Sec.

"Just tell me one thing. How dangerous is this mission?" Claire asked.

"To be honest, I'd give us a one in three chance of surviving, one in ten chance of success, and one in a twenty chance of success without casualties," Luke answered.

Claire lowered his head and placed her hands on her hips. Luke had to be telling the truth, or else he would not have given her such long odds for himself and his team. The fact that the odds were not in their favor and Liara was not arguing against it made Claire think that the mission must have been even more important to her than to Luke.

"This is a time sensitive op. I don't want to have to use my saved pay from Cerebus to charter a civilian ship to take us but if that's what needs to happen," Luke said wringing his hands.

"No, it's okay. Take shuttle two, but replace all the supplies you're taking at our next stop out of your pocket," Claire said squinting at her brother. She wanted to gage his reaction to see just how serious he was about this secret mission of his, but the thankful look in his eyes told her he was dead set on going no matter what it cost him personally. That scared her even more.

"Understood," Luke answered sending a message to the wolf pack from his omni-tool. Claire caught Liara by the arm before she could follow Luke.

"Liara, tell me that you two are going to be alright. Tell me I'm worried for nothing," Claire said.

"I can't, Claire. I'm sorry," Liara answered lowering her gaze before following Luke.

Once Liara and Luke were out of ear shot, Claire turned to the cockpit and sat down in the copilot seat. Joker looked over at his commander and friend turning his chair to face her.

"Crazy night, huh?" Joker asked.

"An assassin, a justicar, Miranda's twin/clone/little sister, and Liara and Luke on a secret mission together with a Cerberus team… I'd say that counts as crazy… possibly even unbelievable," Claire responded rubbing her temples and closing her eyes.

"Well, at least we don't have to stay here much longer right? What do you say Captain? Head out and go get the next one?" Joker asked turning back to the control console.

Claire smiled and relaxed in the chair. "I think that's what we'll do. The next recruit we're going to get is Tali after all," Claire said interlacing her fingers behind her head. God only knew what kind of trouble Tali had gotten herself in, especially if the location given in her dossier was right. Haestrom, a planet deep in Geth space.

000

Luke and Liara sat side by side in the shuttle as Miles, Mary, and Abby shifted and tried to get comfortable for the long trip. It would be several hours before they arrived on Hagalaz. Luke had Katie to take over for the pilot of the shuttle since he did not want anyone he did not completely trust knowing exactly what they were up to. If everything went according to plan, they would find Feron, rescue him, and get out before the Broker even realized they were there. Luke needed people with him that he knew could keep a secret, even from their squad mates. What worried him most was the thought that the Broker might know his true allegiances. If that came to light during this mission, he needed to have people with him that he could trust to pledge their loyalty to him. Miles was former Alliance and still loyal to them, he simply could not sit idle while colonies vanished. Mary was the same as Miles and wanted to help any way she could. Abby and Katie were a different story but Luke believed that if push came to shove, they would be loyal to the team and him before Cerberus. In fact, when the time came, he was counting on it.

"You know, I have been keeping track of your…um… exploits since we parted ways after Noveria," Liara said as Luke settled up against the wall of the shuttle, doing his best to get comfortable.

"I figured. I think I ran into one of your guys not that long ago. A turian on Tarith when we took down the Blood Pack comm station," Luke stated closing his eyes.

"He was on of mine. Thank you for sparing him."

"Beta and Gamma didn't get why I was sparing him but went along with it," Luke said stretching his neck.

"Still, I am glad. He is a very good agent," Liara replied.

"Is it weird? You know, being on a mission like this again with a Cerberus team?" Luke asked cracking one eye open. Liara folded her hands and studied her feet for a moment.

"The last time we saw each other was almost 18 months ago, and in that time, you became a Cerberus team leader, became infamous in the Terminus systems, and help bring Claire back to life. I believe you could call my feelings on the matter 'weird' and quite possibly, downright confusing," Liara responded.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked opening both eyes again.

"I have to ask you something that I'm not sure I am going to like the answer to, but I have to know. Is Cerberus as a whole still an enemy to you?"

The question caught Luke a little off guard, and since it was Liara, a friend, asking, he almost told her exactly what he thought of Cerberus. He wanted to. He wanted to tell her exactly what he was doing, what his plan was, and that he was not betraying the Alliance. He wanted to finally reveal his true goals for this operation but the undercover cop jumped back into his head and his training screamed in his ear to keep his mouth shut and stick to his cover.

"You should know the answer to that, Liara. I'm the Wolf Pack's Alpha. A Cerberus operative. I may not trust the Illusive Man with my secrets, or anyone's for that matter, but I believe in the mission I'm on." Luke stopped there. He did believe in the mission against the Collectors, but he had found proof that the Illusive Man was working every angle he could to bolster Cerberus' power from the mission. That, he did not support. In all honesty, he followed Claire, wherever and whenever. Plain and simple.

"I knew I wouldn't like the answer," Liara said gloomily.

"On this mission, however, I'm not Alpha. I'm Luke, your friend. This is an off books mission so the Illusive Man will never know what's going to happen," Luke said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you Luke. Goddess, I can't believe we finally found Feron," Liara said leaning back in her seat. Damien smirked and closed his eyes again. Maybe he could grab a few hours of rack time before they got to Hagalaz.

"I'm more surprised you still want him back. You know he betrayed you. He betrayed all of us," Luke responded.

"But in the end he still sacrificed himself so that we could escape. Don't forget, you ordered him to come back for me," Liara retorted.

Luke nodded and nestled in to try and sleep. It was true Feron had protected Liara on his orders but if he had truly been trying to betray Liara, he would have let her get taken. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he had originally assumed, but then why would he betray her in the first place?

Taking in a slow breath to try and quiet his thoughts, Luke tried to get comfortable enough to sleep. Yet, thoughts of the upcoming mission kept popping into his head. The 'what-if's were driving up the wall. What if the Broker knew his true allegiance? What if they revealed his true objectives for his mission? True had had chosen the members of his squad with that outcome in mind, but it did nothing to alleviate his worry. He had taken precautions against discovery but a diligent amount of digging and a little luck would reveal everything; his allies, objectives, handlers, and all the info he had sent back to AEIS.

Sitting up, he looked around the shuttle to find everyone sound sleep. Miles was asleep against the side of the shuttle with Mary using him as a pillow and Abby resting against her.

 _Domino effect,_ Luke thought smiling and standing up. He ducked into the cockpit and took a seat in the copilot seat.

"Hey, boss. What's up?" Katie responded.

"Can't sleep. You get some shut eye. I'll take over. It's on auto-pilot right?" Luke said checking the sensors.

"You sure? I sleep like a rock," Katie stated.

"I'll make sure that Gamma gives you a kiss to wake you up before we get there," Luke responded.

"Okay, but I would rather get one from your asari friend," Katie said smiling broadly.

"If you don't get going, I'm going to resend the offer," Luke retorted.

"I'm going, I'm going," Katie responded transferring control over to the copilot seat.

Luke smiled and accepted control of the shuttle before sitting back and watching the stars fly by. The sight of the massive amount of space around him made him feel a little better because if the galaxy was this big, his problems seemed pretty small. Besides, he had handled worse situations before, and if all else failed, he knew Claire would protect him. He was, after all, still loyal to the Alliance.


	36. Chapter 36

**I know I have not posted on this fic in a long time, so I'm sorry about that, but here is the next chapter and I will have another one up for y'all as soon as I can. Thanks to all my followers and reviewers. Enjoy!**

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The shuttle had several alarms going off as the shields started to hiss against the solar radiation. Claire looked around the shuttle as Garrus adjusted the settings for his shields next to her apparently completely unphased. Zaheed whispered something to his rifle as he stroked it as if it were the white cat out of an old James Bond film. Grunt fidgeted obviously ready to be out of the shuttle and fighting. Jack looked more pissed than usual but that was probably because Claire had forced her to wear full armor on the mission instead of the shielded jacket Luke had signed over to her.

"Any intel on the LZ?" Jacob asked locking his helmet into place.

" _Nothing. We couldn't get an accurate scan through the solar radiation. Everything is frying from probe sensors to visual scans. There's just too much interference,"_ Joker responded over the radio.

"At least radio signals are making it through," Zaheed said tapping his ear piece.

"That's only because of the booster added to the shuttles comm system. Once we're planet side, expect moderate to severe signal interference," Garrus explained stowing his sniper rifle back and checking the sight on his assault rifle.

"Everyone stay close and in formation. No heroes," Claire ordered.

"Speaking of heroes, where's the king of the boy scouts? Aren't I usually on his team?" Jack asked loading a few extra thermal clips into her leg pouch.

"He's on another mission," Claire said shortly.

"Some super secret spy stuff?" Jack mocked charging the firing chamber of her shotgun.

"Yeah, super secret. Shhhh," Claire responded putting her finger up to her helmet where her mouth was. Honestly, she wanted to know what he was up to as well. The fact that he was so secretive about it and only took half his team made her uneasy. Liara withholding information about the mission worried her too.

"Whatever. What's the deal with this place anyway?" Jack asked. "What's so special about some quarian?"

"She's an old friend that I trust and one of the smartest tech engineers I've ever seen. She'll be a big help. Trust me," Claire explained glancing over at Garrus.

"She was also on the old Normandy with us," the turian added.

"Great, another touching reunion. Ugh, gag me," Jack groaned.

000

The sun shown down on them like a spotlight causing their shields to sizzle. Claire had never heard her equipment make that sound before. Could it just be the radiation from the star, or was there something adding to it from the planet's atmosphere? No, the cortex had flagged this system for irregular solar radiation. It had to be the the star.

"The briefing wasn't kidding about the solar radiation. Its playing hell with my shields," Garrus said as the group took shelter in the shade allowing their shields to recharge before pressing onward.

"Have we picked up any radio chatter from Tali or nyone with her?" Claire asked.

"I'm actively scanning all channels but nothing yet. Must be the solar radiation," Garrus responded. Claire nodded before waving everyone on.

They advanced slowly through the ruins making sure to not arouse any enemy units that might be lurking among the crumbling buildings. The quiet seemed to be getting under Grunt, Zaheed, and Jack's skin. They wanted to start fighting. To be honest, Claire wasn't feeling very comfortable with the silence either. There was always something that went wrong on a mission. An ambush, a trap, unexpected enemy reinforcements, something that caused the plan to go wrong. It wasn't like she hoped for something like that to happen, but she had come to expect it.

"Got something. Some kind of gate up ahead and there's some recent damage to the door on the right," Zaheed said pointing.

"Let's check it out. Grunt, Zaheed, with me. Garrus, Jack, cover the gate," Claire ordered increasing her pace.

She could see blood on the door. Judging from the color, it was quarian. It was to bright of a shade of red for it to be human. _Please don't let that be Tali's blood._ She hadn't meant to let her mind go there immediately, but the worst possible scenario always seemed to find her.

"Do not fire unless its geth," Claire said activating the door. A grumble for Zaheed and a reluctant nod from Grunt let her know they would obey. As the door opened the three surged in but found nothing alive. Two quarians lay against the wall surrounded by seven geth troopers.

"Quarian marines. Tougher than I thought," Zaheed said kneeling next to the corpses.

"Wait, 'til you meet Tali. She's a hellion with an omni-tool if I've ever seen one," Claire said allowing herself to take a relieved breath. She figured Tali wouldn't be killed so easily, not after seeing her in action on Freedom's Progress. "She's not here. Let's keep moving."

Garrus activated the gate leading to the rest of the compound as as the team moved into formation to continue forward.

"Jack and Grunt on point, Zaheed with me in the middle, and Garrus on rear guard. We know the geth are here. Once you confirm any geth, weapons free," Claire ordered.

"Hell yeah, I like that," Jack exclaimed overcharging her shotgun.

Not more than five seconds after Claire had given the order, a geth drop ship swooped down and dropped a squad of troops directly in their path. Grunt charged forward grabbing one of the synthetics by the chest piece and using it as a shield while he blasted away at the others with his shotgun. Jack used her biotics to rip one of the enemies in half before hurling the pieces into another trooper. She pulled her pistol and put three rounds in the troopers head before covering Grunt's assault. For not having worked together much before, they seemed pretty well in sync with one another.

"Captain, another patrol up ahead and it looks like they have a prime," Zaheed said leveling his rifle.

"It never goes smoothly. Why can't it ever go smoothly?" Claire said raising her own weapon.

000

The shuttle jolted nearly throwing Luke to the floor as the craft closed the distance between them and the drop off point. The storm surrounding their drop point was unlike anything Luke had ever seen. High gust winds sent tremors through the shuttle and lightning threatened to knock them out of the sky with every flash.

"I've never seen anything like this," Miles said bracing himself against the wall.

"Oh come on Miles. This is not as bad as that insertion on Aequitas with the anti-air defenses and sand storm," Luke replied locking his helmet on and strapping another ammo belt across his chest. He assumed there would be an army manning that whole ship. They would most likely have to kill a large number of them.

"Hopefully there will be less broken bones than that time," Mary said locking her own helmet on.

"How many bones were broken?" Liara asked looking around the group.

"Three including me," Luke answered patting his left wrist. "Was out of action for three weeks."

"Even though you were supposed to be out for six weeks, stubborn ass," Abby jested nudging Luke.

"Did you really expect anything else from me? Come on. Stealth insertion in two," Luke said pulling his pistol.

"Roger that," the team responded in unison. Luke looked over at Liara. She looked focused, but not on the task at hand. He pulled her off to the side as the shuttle settled and prepared for the drop.

"What's rolling around that brilliant mind of yours?" Luke asked softly.

"Faren. I know the reports say that he is alive, but I'm afraid," Liara answered.

Luke sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If there is one thing that I'm sure of, its that Faren is just as hard to kill as I am. He'll be here, and after we get him, we'll get some payback," Luke assured her.

She nodded and locked her helmet on before following him to the door. A few seconds later, the door opened and without hesitation, the members of the wolf pack leaped out landing lightly on the deck of the ship.

"Katie, keep the shuttle in outer orbit. If you don't here from us in four hours, return to the Normandy and report the mission failed with the whole team lost. I don't want Claire coming out here after us if we fail," Luke ordered over the short range radio.

" _Roger that, Alpha, but don't go dying on me,"_ she responded as the shuttle pulled away and climbed back out of the atmosphere.

"You really want your sister to give up on you if we don't take this rust bucket?" Miles asked taking cover and as the team started to move toward the bow.

"I don't plan on taking the ship. The Shadow Broker is a necessary evil in the galaxy. If we can manage it, I'd rather rescue Faren without having to eliminate the Broker. But, if we get captured or killed, I don't want Claire coming here to try and avenge us," Luke responded.

"I understand, but I do plan on causing trouble for the Broker," Liara stated as Luke waved the team forward.

"Of course, that's the pack is better at than anyone else in the galaxy," Luke answered.

"Yeah, causing trouble on a massive scale that pisses off the maximum amount of people possible," Miles added raising a few chuckles from Abby and Mary.

"Thank you. All of you for this," Liara said as they continued forward.

"Thank us by watching your step. As much as I like sky diving, I think it would be called sky frying on this planet," Luke said spotting a massive jolt of lightning pass both below and above the ship.

Luke took point in the formation and started moving forward. HE did not expect that much resistance in the storm, but he was worried that the shuttle's approach may have been noticed. If that were the case, the Broker would send out at least a few patrols to make sure they were alone, and if those patrols were silenced before reporting the all clear or called him his teams position, they would be in a fight for their lives. Stealth was their best option for surviving the mission without casualties.

"Luke, I think we better get inside soon. It will be easier to pick off any guards once we're out of this storm," Abby stated checking behind them before continuing forward.

"Let me know if you see a welcome mat anywhere," Luke responded. Even with all the moving parts on the ship's hull, he had not seen any maintenance hatches or entrances. Could the Broker really have no escape point on the upper area? What about maintenance? Surely they did not deploy a shuttle in this kind of weather to make small repairs.

"Should we ring the bell?" Miles asked pointing to the multitude of lightning rods lining the beast's back like a porcupine.

"What do you have in mind?" Luke asked.

"We run some wire between a few sensors and one of those rods. When the lightning hits, it will fry the sensor and they will have to send someone to repair it. Watch where they come from and follow the trail back to an entrance," Miles explained.

"Works for me," Mary stated.

"I'm in," Abby added.

"Worth a shot, then. Cover me while I run the cable," Luke said using omni-tool to scan for a sensor cluster.

"But won't this let them know that there is someone here?" Liara asked.

"That's a risk we'll have to take. We need a point of entry or blueprints for the ship. Both would be preferable, but I'll take an entry point where we can interrogate someone for directions," Luke said looping the cord around the sensor node.

"Alpha, movement at twelve o'clock, distance 45 meters," Abby stated.

"Damn, do they know we're here?" Luke asked taking cover.

"Negative. Looks like a routine patrol," Abby responded.

"Alright, stay hidden and let them pass. We'll follow their path back to an insertion point move forward from there," Luke ordered.


	37. Chapter 37

**I am completely mortified by how long this chapter took me to post. I am so sorry to anyone who has been waiting all this time for a new chapter, but I am trying to post more often. I'm sure all you other writers out there know the situation when you get sucked into a bunch of projects and two or three don't get the attention they deserve. Anyway, I will try to post more often on this fic. Hope you enjoy!**

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Reegar, one hell of a marine if she had ever seen one, despite his injuries stuck in the fight right along with Claire and her team. He even tried to act as a decoy to let them move in closer to save Tali. If they had been facing geth infantry alone, Claire might have considered it, but they were up against a colossus with infantry support and primes. A wounded decoy would never have survived.

Claire dashed across an open bridge as the geth fired on her. Garrus sniped an enemy that was in front of her as it rose to try and shoot her. She slid to a stop in cover keeping her eyes on the ramp leading up to the side passage that let out right next to the colossus. If any geth infantry were going to try to intercept them, they would be coming from there. She waved for the next team member to follow before laying down suppressing fire on the rest of the battleground.

Zaheed crossed next and took a hit in the shields but they held mearly causing him to curse profusely.

"Gadamn mechanical bastards!" he yelled draining his thermal clip as Garrus crossed.

"Not a scratch on me," Garrus mocked.

"Your face begs to differ," Zaheed retorted.

"I think the phrase is 'pot meet kettle,' right?" Garrus asked glancing over at Claire.

All Claire could do was smile as she covered Jack and Grunt as they crossed together. The biotic appeared to be having the time of her life and the Krogan looked no different. Jack slid in behind the crates as if scoring the winning run of a baseball game as grunt took the forward position in the formation.

"Hell yeah, let's do that again," Jack said firing a few shots over the crate drawing a chuckle from Grunt.

"Maybe next time, for now let's rip that colossus apart," Claire said taking point and leading her team up the ramp.

Glancing around the corner she spotted at least a full squad of infantry with the colossus. They were waiting to ambush them. Part of her had wished that she had sent Garrus and Zaheed to the other side to provide fire support and launch a pincer attack from both flanks, but that plan was about five minutes too late. She would just have to make do.

"Garrus remain here and offer covering fire. Zaheed move up the the crates on the left and cover me, Grunt, and Jack. We'll get close enough for Jack to use her biotics and I can finish it off with my grenade launcher. Grunt, anything that gets too close to us, rip it apart," Claire ordered patting the heavy weapon on her back.

"Crazy as hell... I like it," Jack said smirking.

"Move out!" Claire ordered. The team charged forward as Garrus and Zaheed covered their advance. Grunt took cover as close to the colossus as he could without being in the beast's line of sight while Jack unleashed her biotics on the metallic monster.

The infantry was eliminated quickly but the colossus was hanging in the fight even under the brutal onslaught that Claire and her team were pouring on. She had already emptied her grenade launcher and Jack's biotics were keeping it from huddling back up to fix itself, but the barrage of small arms fire was doing very little to stop the weapon from firing at them.

"Jack, tell me how to use a large warp," Claire shouted clenching her fist.

"What are you thinking? This thing won't get taken down by just biotics," Garrus shouted firing another round from his rifle.

"But the energy from me would cause a biotic eruption," Jack said smirking. "Alright, focus your power into your hand and form a ball. Make sure the energy wave isn't stable. We want a big explosion."

Claire did as she was told. The feeling of the dark matter coursing through her left tingling sensations in it's wake. No wonder Luke had started using this power so much even with its risk. Jack was so strong to hold the colossus so it couldn't repair itself and she could feel how powerful the ball of energy she was forming was. As she hurled to glowing orb of energy, she could feel how draining the energy release was on her. She would need a lot of conditioning if she was going to be able to fight with her biotics the way the rest of her crew could.

The two biotic forces collided and erupted violently . The explosion sent shockwaves so powerful it actually knocked Claire, Jack, and Grunt off their feet and ripped the colossus apart.

"Holy shit, Shepard! That was awesome! You've got some kick ass power there," Jack howled with pressure. Claire shook her head as she pushed herself back up onto her feet.

"Yeah, but now I'm really tired," Claire confessed groaning as she stood.

"No shit. You just used a shit ton of power in one go. I'm surprised you didn't open a singularity with that," Jack said jogging over to the colossus and posing as if they were on a big game hunt.

Zaheed chuckled as the squad reformed and Claire turned her attention to the door the geth had been trying to get through.

000

Liara watched as the members of the wolf pack moved through the hallways in complete silence. The cable wrapped around the sensor node outside had been a perfect plan since they had a repair team to follow instead of a combat patrol. The repairmen led them straight to a maintenance hatch and Luke managed to quietly restrain one of the guards and force the location of Feron out of him. Luke had told Liara that she did not want to see the interrogation. She had seen his tactics with the salarian when they had been searching for Claire, but this time he had only talked to the guard for a few minutes before he returned with directions to their quarry.

"That was fast," Liara said as Luke set navigation point for the team to follow.

"Field interrogations always are," Luke responded.

"And the guard?" Liara asked.

"No one will find him until we are out of here," Luke responded.

Liara's eyes widened. She knew about most of Luke's missions with the Wolf Pack. He had limited casualties of civilians, government personnel, and official military to nearly zero while racking up one of the largest mercenary body counts of any group in the Terminus Systems. However, hearing and reading about his exploits was much different than seeing them first hand. Luke was right on the border of becoming just as bad as the people he went after.

"Boss, we've got a pair of roaming guards up ahead. What's the call?" Miles asked. Liara looked over at Luke as he deployed his omni-blade.

"Ghost 'em."

That order came too easily to Luke. It was almost like he was saying 'good morning' or something as normal. There was no hesitation, but that was something that they needed now more than ever.

No sooner had the order left Luke's lips when the pack members descended on the two guards and used their omni-blades to silence them quickly and with hardly any noise at all. If Liara had not been watching it happen, she would have never known the guards had even been there.

"Move quietly and avoid cameras. I don't want this bastard knowing it was us until after we're back on the Normandy," Luke whispered over the helmet to helmet radios.

The stealth that Luke and his team showed was beyond anything that her agents had ever shown. If she could get even a few agents with their talents, she could be more powerful than the broker in a matter of a couple years.

Within a few minutes, Liara found herself overlooking a small room holding Feron in restraints. Luke started examining everything in the room trying to find a release command, but from the look on his face, he was having no luck.

"Hold on, Feron. We'll have you out of there soon," Liara said opening a console.

"No," the drell wheezed. Liara watched in horror as her touching the console sparked a massive shock to the man as he convulsed in his restraints.

"Damn it. The chair is rigged with a pressure sensor as well as a whole mess of medical sensors and simulators. Let me guess, the broker has been keeping you alive to serve as a warning to anyone that played both sides right? I don't see any kind of kill switch," Luke said stepping between the console and Liara.

"This chair is linked into the broker's information network. You'll have to shut down the power. If you pull me out now, my brain cooks," Feron stated.

"Goddess..." Liara said stepping back.

"What's the plan boss?" Abby asked.

"The pack has never failed a mission before and we are not about to now. Listen up, our priority is getting Feron out of that chair. If that means taking down the network, then I guess we take it down," Luke replied loading a fresh thermal clip into his pistol and removing the silencer.

"Going loud?" Miles inquired lifting his rifle.

"Hell yeah. Let's let them know just who they're messing with," Luke replied nodding.

000

Tali stood at a console typing away like she didn't have a care in the world. Surrounding her were the bodies of nearly a dozen geth, all taken down with surgical precision. Even Zaheed and Grunt looked impressed as they filed into the small room.

"It's good to see you Shepard," Tali stated glancing back at Claire.

Claire made her way through the bodies until she was standing right next to Tali. She seemed a little different than she had been on Freedom's Progress. A little more serious maybe, or it might have been she was sad? It was hard to tell with that mask she wore.

"You know, I think you've gotten better since I saw you last. It still seems like not that long ago I was rescuing you from those assassins in a back alley and now you are taking on an entire platoon of Geth on your own," Claire said nudging one of the bodies with the toe of her boot.

"Three years, Claire. I know it doesn't seem that long to you because of what happened but a lot has changed," Tali replied removing an OSD from the console and slipping it into her pocket.

"I know. Still, you've gotten better. A lot better," Claire stated smiling at her friend.

"Thank you, but I'm curious. What brought you all the way out into geth space?" the quarian inquired.

"You, believe it or not. You know that mission that I asked you to join me for back on Freedom's Progress, I'm still on it. I really want you with me Tali," Claire said placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"To be perfectly honest, I wish I could have joined you back then, but there was no way I was going to let anyone else take my place on a mission this serious and dangerous. However, I have the data I was sent for so if the admiralty board doesn't like me joining you now, they can go to hell," Tali stated sternly.

"Glad to hear it," Claire replied. "We'll head back and check on Reegor before we head back to the Normandy. We'll give him a ride if he needs it."

"Reegor, he's alive?" Tali exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Yeah, Claire yelled at him and saved his life," Garrus said leaning against the wall.

"Garrus, it has been a while," Tali stated giving him a small wave.

"Good to see you in one piece, Tali," Garrus replied returning the gesture.

"How about we all get out of here? I do awesome with a tan, but this shit is way too much," Jack interrupted. Claire smirked. Jack may have been having fun during the mission, but now that the fighting was over, she probably wanted to get back to her hiding place back on the engineering deck.

"Sounds good to me," Claire answered punching in their coordinates on her omni-tool and calling the pick up shuttle. The paperwork for this mission was going to be nuts. Jack probably wouldn't do hers and Grunt still didn't understand the whole system of filing reports, so he wouldn't do his either. On top of that, Claire wasn't sure if Zaheed would follow the protocol either. With all of the non-military personnel she was bringing onto the ship, she assumed she would have to change some of the ways she did things. Maybe the after mission reports should have the option of being verbal, like a debrief instead of a filed report. Maybe she could talk to Luke about it when he got back. She hoped he was doing well out there, wherever he was.

000

Bullets ricocheted off of everything around them. They were pinned down like beetles in an insect collection. Luke had to find a way to get them moving again, but they were running out of time.

"Liara, I need a singularity behind us. Abby, cover her. Miles, barrier to our front," Luke ordered. Blindly firing his pistol.

"This barrier won't hold for long, boss!" Miles shouted producing the wall of biotic energy.

"Abby, level off and shoot the red pipe right over the enemy's head," Luke ordered switching spots with her and firing repeatedly at the squad behind them as the mercenaries tried to shot and move around Liara's singularity.

"My singularity won't last longer than twenty seconds," Liara shouted taking cover once more.

Abby fired her rifle and pierced the pipe. Luke smirked and pulled a grenade, setting it to thermal detonation.

"Liara, barrier above us. Miles, shift your barrier to cover any area Liara's can't and I'll reinforce both," Luke ordered. This plan was risky to say the least, but it was the only chance they had of wiping out their opposition and still making it to the Broker in one piece. That red pipe was the fuel for the heating element that kept the inside of the inside of the ship from freezing in the upper atmosphere, meaning it was highly flammable.

Luke tossed the grenade and took cover with his team reinforcing the barrier with all his strength. The grenade erupted sparking the leaking fuel. The force of the blast did precisely what Luke hoped. The flames surged into the pipe causing it to explode all along the ceiling launching pieces of the shattered pipe downward like a claymore mine. He waited just long enough for the shrapnel to finish its descent before releasing his barrier and leaping to his feet.

"Go straight for the broker's info terminal and network hub. Shoot and scoot. It doesn't matter if the mercs are behind us. Once we have the broker, the head of the snake is cut off," Luke ordered waving his team forward.

"Reckless, gutsy, and borders on stupid... I like it," Miles replied pulling his shotgun and quickly falling instep with Luke. Abby and Liara were on their heels only a second later.

The team used every trick they had ripping through the broker's ship and killing any mercenary that got in their way before ending up at the door leading to the hub of the broker's network.

"Boldly they rode and well, into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell," Luke quoted loading a fresh clip into his pistol.

"Maybe you should choose something a little more inspirational there boss," Abby said rolling her head on her shoulders.

"Maybe, but you two are going to stay out here. Make sure our meeting with the broker isn't interrupted," Luke said pointing to a small alcove in the hallway where the two could take cover.

"Are you sure? You know we have your back, but still. We don;t know what's in there," Miles added.

"That's why I chose those particular lines to say. I want you to monitor my vitals. If I flat-line, get Liara and yourselves out and return to the Normandy. Tell Claire what happened. I'm sure she'll be pissed but she might blow this thing out of the sky just for the hell of it," Luke instructed. He knew that if he was killed, it would not be easy for his team to leave him behind. On top of that, his mission with AEIS would be a failure too. He could not let that happen.

"Boss, if you start getting close to flat-lining, I'm gonna come in there and kick your ass myself," Abby snapped.

"That goes double for me," Miles added.

"Got it. No dying. And here I thought I gave the orders," Luke responded with smirk. "Ready for this Liara?"

The asari turned to face him. He could see her hands shaking a little. That was understandable. If they messed this up, they would both be dead and Feron would likely be tortured for the rest of his life, however short that might be.

"Ready," she answered tightening her grip on her gun. Almost immediately, she stopped shaking. She was honestly ready for the fight, no matter what was waiting behind the door.


	38. Chapter 38

**I kind of ended up on a roll with this one so I'm gonna go ahead and post it. Sorry for the randomness of all my posts, I will try to keep posting quickly, but... life... you know how it is. Hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Please let me know what you think, and thanks so much for sticking with the story through the long spaces between chapters. Y'all are awesome!**

 **000**

Luke panted heavily as he opened his mask and wiped the blood from his nose. His and Liara's biotics were doing nothing against the broker. That damned yahg was simply too big, and that force-field he kept bringing up was nearly impenetrable.

"Have I told you how happy I am that you pissed this ugly bastard off?" Luke shouted.

"You may have mentioned it," Liara answered firing at the broker, but the rounds bounced right off yet again. She had made some smart remarks about how the yahg might have ended up on the ship saying that he might have been a trophy or a pet of the last broker. It really seemed to touch a nerve. Normally, Luke would have been all for pissing the enemy off to make them loose their focus, but not when the opponent had 300 pounds on him and three times his strength.

"Nothing is getting through that field. Projectiles, biotics, nothing," Luke snarled jamming a fresh clip into his pistol.

"Maybe something slower that bullets, but but solid," Liara suggested looking around. Luke smirked... it was worth a try.

Sprinting a full speed, Luke launched himself forward and slammed his heels into the broker's face. To his surprise the kick made it through and knocked the yahg backward a few steps. Luke rolled backward as he landed on the floor regaining his feet quickly.

"Bring it on, ugly. Let's dance," Luke snarled lifting his fists.

The yahg said nothing but swung at him with all his might. Luke ducked the punch and delivered a jab of his own into the beast's throat. It felt like he was hitting a bag of concrete. There was almost no give at all. Luke needed a little bit of distance to try his next strike.

Pulling an old poly-carbine knife from his boot, Luke flipped the blade in his hand and moved in a little closer. He spotted Liara out of the corner of his eye moving in to try and get a shot at their opponent too. They might be able to finish the bastard off if Luke could keep his attention on him.

Luke moved in as fast as he could, jamming his blade into the wrist of the broker's right wrist. He twisted the knife inside the joint hoping to make the creatures hand completely useless. He could feel the knife scratching the bones and ripping through the muscle. Ripping the weapons free, Luke jumped back out of the broker's reach as he howled in pain.

The yahg reached out and caught Luke by the shoulder and hurled him across the room and into the far wall. Luke gasped for air as he collided with the floor. Even in hand-to-hand combat, he and Liara were out classed. This bastard had an unbreakable defense and a killer left hook. As much as Luke wanted to finish this fight fast, both he and Liara would have to pace themselves or risk getting exhausted in the middle of the fight.

"Luke, do you think you could get him to bring up that barrier again. I've got an idea," Liara informed him over the helmet to helmet radio.

"One insanely strong force-field coming up," Luke responded as he pushed himself back onto his feet. His body felt so weak all of a sudden and he found himself reaching for the pocket where his serum would have been. _No, damn it. I'm clean now. I don't need it. Come on. Focus, trust Liara, and kick this bastard's ass._ It wasn't one of his better pep talks, but it got him moving.

He pulled his pistol and emptied the clip at the broker before launching the largest warp he could must then a throw to try and get a biotic detonation, but before the two could hit, the broker brought up his shield again... just like Liara had wanted.

Luke spotted her on the other side of the room as she unleashed her biotics and broke the seal on the power source behind the force-field. The energy poured down on the broker like lava from a volcano reducing the yahg to ash in front of them. The lights flickered and went out for only a moment leaving Luke and Liara in complete darkness.

When the lights and power came back, the interface console near the desk lit up with communication screens. Every one of them asking for confirmation on an operation. There were so many... who could that yahg have been to be able to keep track of so many different operations at once? Luke was hardly able to keep his AEIS, Wolf Pack, Cerberus, and Normandy missions straight in his head.

Liara approached the console looking rather scared. They had not come to kill the broker, but now that they had, what needed to be done? The shadow broker was one of the most powerful entities in the galaxy with ties to every government, intelligence branch, military force, and civilian corporation. If he just disappeared, would the galaxy even be able to hold itself together?

"This is the shadow broker. We had a slight malfunction in our data streams , however, we are now back online. I want a full report on all active operations in the next solar day. Shadow broker out," Liara spoke. A filtration system on the console manipulated her voice into sounding exactly like the broker had in every communication Luke had ever heard. No one would ever be able to tell the difference.

The door opened as Feron, Miles, and Abby charged in with their weapons drawn. Luke cocked his head to the side as he removed his helmet and tried to clean the rest of the blood off his face. Feron made his way over to Liara. It was obvious he was feeling pretty weak, but Luke was impressed that he made out of the chair in that small window when the power was out. He wasn't as good as Thane, but he certainly was better than most.

"Holy shit, boss. How the hell did you two... I mean, what happened in here?" Miles asked.

"I slapping you two with a gag order. This mission will not be discussed with anyone, not even the rest of the pack or the Illusive Man. As far as anyone knows, this was a rescue op that was a success. Understood?" Luke said rolling his shoulder. He felt like he got hit by a truck and considering how strong that yahg was, that wasn't too far off.

"Understood," Miles answered immediately.

"Wait, what about Captain Shepard?" Abby asked.

"Claire will be told enough to sate her curiosity. We will write up the mission report together on the shuttle back," Luke stated collapsing his helmet and clipping it to his belt. Claire did not need the extra headache of knowing Liara was the new broker.

"So, what now?" Abby inquired. Luke smirked and looked over at Liara. She wanted this, but not just for herself. There was something in her eyes that made him believe that she would not abuse this power.

"Get the active security feeds for the ship and eliminate any remaining crew. Anyone that might know that we were here might spill the beans about there being a new broker," Luke ordered using his omni-tool to access the security systems. It was surprisingly easy to get in, like there was no security o the terminals within the broker's office at all. He quickly forwarded the security feeds to Miles and Abby before they headed out again. Cutting the access for everyone else would give his team the advantage, which was all those two would need to finish off any and all mercs still on board.

"Luke, I don't know what to say. You came to get me, even though you knew I betrayed both of you," Feron said bowing his head.

"From now on, you only have one boss. Make sure you remember that," Luke responded placing a hand on the drell's shoulder.

"I will. Liara has my complete and undivided loyalty. I swear," Feron promised.

"Good. Get some rest. I'm sure she is going to have some work for you pretty soon," Luke stated before heading over to Liara.

The asari was looking around her newly acquired office with wonder and bewilderment in her eyes. It reminded Luke of the Christmas morning back on Mindoir when Mallory had gotten the collectible doll from Earth she had been wanting for years.

"Shadow Broker... it suits you. I hope that means I'll get a discount on any future intel I ask for?" Luke jested leaning back against the desk.

"Is it wrong that I want this for myself? With all of this, I can help you and Claire fight the Reapers. I just..." Liara stopped as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"It's okay. I know you won't abuse this power," Luke said pulling his friend into a hug. She needed a friend to tell her that it was okay , that everything would be okay.

000

" _Why am I unable to track the shuttle you are on?"_ the Illusive man asked as Luke motioned for his team to stay out of sight and quiet.

"The transponder and IFF have both been shut down. I could not risk anyone tracking this ship during this mission, not even you," Luke reported taking a seat and folding his arms.

" _Do I need to remind you that you are a Cereberus operative? You work for me,"_ the man snapped.

"No, as per our arrangement, I work with you until you bring Claire back. She's back, therefore now, I'm under her command and she signed off on this mission. Understand, Mr. Illusive, this was a black on black operation. All necessary details will be in the final report. This had nothing to do with Cerberus, I personally financed this mission and received approval for use of the shuttle from Captain Claire Shepard. Even people like me have scores to settle," Luke stated narrowing his eyes.

" _I will eagerly await that report,"_ the Illusive Man replied taking a drag of his cigarette. "B _e careful of what lines you cross, Operative Shepard. There are some you cannot come back from."_

Luke smirked and disconnected the video link before closing the console.

"That guy needs to switch to a different kind a cigarette," Miles said flopping down in the seat next to Luke.

"Even if he did that, I doubt it would loosen him up enough to matter. That guy is more of an asshole than most politicians I know, and I've gotten to punch one before," Luke said smiling at the memory of knocking the ambassador out cold.

"I heard about that. You knocked out Ambassador Udina and released the lock he put on the Normandy right?" Abby asked sitting down across from them.

"For the most part," Luke started, but suddenly an alert came in over the radio.

" _Shuttle 2, do you copy? This the Normandy,"_ Joker called over the channel.

"Roger Normandy, this is Shuttle 2," Luke answered activating his headset.

" _Luke, glad to heard your voice, man. We just caught a huge break. Picked up a turian patrol's distress signal. They encountered a collector ship and managed to disable it before they were wiped out. The Illusive Man wants us to check it out and get some intel if we can,"_ Joker informed them.

"Sounds like fun. Send us the coordinates and we'll meet up with you there," Luke answered.

000

Mallory sat at her desk reading through the reports from the last patrol. The Athens had been tasked with monitoring the bordering systems along the Terminus border. As of yet, there was no sign of the Normandy, nor anything else except for a few civilian freighters. She had run her men through drills and hand-to-hand combat training, but she could tell they were getting bored. They would either need some leave time at the next port, or something to let them unwind.

"Commander, there's a new report. I was told to bring it to you immediately," her orderly called from the door.

"Enter." A new report? But she already had the latest patrol's report in front of her. What could this be?

The orderly handed the datapad over to her with a salute before leaving quickly. The data had a classified seal on it... could this be about Claire and Luke? Punching in her code, the files opened revealing a AEIS file. It was from an agent on Illium who had several incident reports ranging from a few hacked systems to the destruction of several buildings. Unfortunately, every incident had something in common. Either Luke or Claire was seen in the vicinity before the incident, or there was security footage of them in combat. There was a holo of Luke with two others. The personnel files on his companions sent up all kinds of flares and warnings. A convicted criminal who was supposed to be in solitary confinement in an undisclosed location and a mercenary with a body count that rivaled most Alliance combat teams. The mercenary was understandable, but why would a criminal with this girl's past be consorting with Cerberus. None of this was making any sense to her.

Maybe Kaidan would know more about it? A gun fight in a baggage area near the transport hub, destroying a skyscraper and killing the security personnel inside, even the death of a council spectre was mixed up in all of this. Even if Kaidan did not know more himself, he could get more information from AEIS, right?

There was a small note in the file that worried her. Apparently, Liara had been part of some of the commotion and had since gone missing. Maybe she should call her first?

Mallory punched up her vid-comm screen and sent a request to Liara's line. It took a little while but the screen opened revealing the asari.

" _Mallory, it is good to see you again. It has been some time since you contacted me_ ," Liara greeted her. She was obviously busy with something as she wasn't paying much attention to the vid screen.

"Good to see you too, Liara. It really has been too long. I was hoping to talk to you about something. It's personal," Mallory began leaning back in her chair.

" _Of course, is everything alright?_ " Liara asked.

"I actually heard some worrisome reports that you had gone missing from Illium... not long after Claire and Luke were spotted in Nos Astra," Mallory stated a little more accusingly than she had meant.

" _They needed information on some recruits and did me a favor in return. I can see how my leaving could be worrisome but I assure you, I am alright,_ " Liara replied.

Did she really just play off Mallory's mentioning of Luke and Claire like it was old news? No one from the old team had gotten in contact with her except for Kaidan and if he had not been allowed to tell her about Luke and Claire, she would still be searching for answers.

"I only recently learned that Claire and Luke were still alive. How long have you known about them?" Mallory demanded pointing at the screen.

" _I thought you knew they were alive. They already met Kaidan on Horizon, I assume he told you,"_ Liara stated calmly. If she was offended by Mallory's outburst, she didn't show it.

"Are they truly part of Cerberus? Both of them?" Mallory asked standing and leaning in on the screen.

" _As far as my sources have been able to uncover, Luke joined as part of a negotiation to get Cerberus to bring Claire back from the dead. Claire is now with them to fight the collectors in the Terminus systems. As far as I can tell, Claire is using Cerberus for their resources,"_ Liara assured her.

Mallory sat back down. If that was all Claire was doing, then why cause so much trouble? The gun fights on Omega and in Nos Astra did not seem necessary for any mission involving the collectors. Then again, Liara mentioned something about recruits, so they must have been gathering a team. Maybe Claire was just assembling a team she could trust? One could only hope.

"And Luke? Now that Claire is back, is he still officially with Cerberus?" she asked.

" _According to everything I have found, Luke is a well respected operative for Cerberus, but he is serving on the same ship as Claire, so he could be working for just Claire,"_ Liara answered.

"We can only hope," Mallory replied rubbing her forehead.

000

Claire watched as her team prepped their weapons and armor. Her team was rather large now. Moving though the enemy ship with this many people would be difficult. Maybe she should break everyone up into smaller teams, but who worked well together and who could lead them?She trusted Garrus, but he had a bit of a wild side and his confidence had not completely returned since the death of his team. Miranda had the command ability and the experience, however, not too many of her team would obey her orders. Jacob could handle the other Wolf Pack members easily, but he was not as adaptable to unexpected circumstances as the rest of the group. Everyone else either were use to working alone or didn't trust each other.

" _Shuttle Two is at the rally point, Captain. Bringing them in now,"_ Joker announced.

"Thanks Joker. Have them come up to the armory to refit and run a diagnostic of the shuttle, make sure it is good to go," Claire responded grabbing the datapad with the mission briefing.

"Captain, who's going with you? I'm assuming you are not taking everyone," Miranda asked holstering her pistol.

"No, I'm not. Tali, Garrus, Grunt, Samara, and Kasumi are my infiltration team. Jacob, stand by with the Pack. If Luke and his group are rested enough to join the mission, give him the details. The Wolf Pack is to remain on stand by on the Normandy, but be ready. If this goes sideways, I may need you to infiltrate too. Thane, Jack, and Zaheed, you three will be our rear security. Board with us and keep our extraction point secure. Miranda and Mordin will remain on the Normandy to analyze any information and data we come across. You two can pick out any critical details and relay them to us during the mission," Claire stated scrolling through the briefing.

"Understood, Captain," Miranda responded.

" _Shuttle Two has landed and they say that they are rested and ready,"_ Joker reported.

"Wolf Pack, rally on Luke in the hanger. Jacob, make sure you fill him in on the mission plan," Claire ordered as Tali stood up right.

"Why would the Wolf Pack follow Luke?" Tali asked looking over at Claire and Garrus.

"No one told her yet, huh?" Garrus said slipping his rifle onto his back.

"I thought Luke should be the one to tell her," Claire replied grabbing her helmet and tucking it under her arm.

"Tell me what?" Tali asked looking around at the rest of the group.

"Well, their identities are declassified aboard the Normandy," Miranda said pinching her chin.

"Will someone just tell me what's going on?" Tali snapped.

The door to the armory suddenly opened revealing Luke and the four members of his team that had accompanied him and Liara, but where was she? Luke would have said something if Liara had been injured or killed right?

"Reporting as ordered, Captain. Hey, Tali, its good to see you," Luke said embracing the quarian.

"Good to see you too, but maybe you will tell me. Why would the Wolf Pack answer to you?" Tali asked taking a step back while keeping a hold of Luke's arms.

"Because their my team. They were formed specifically for me," Luke stated casually before making a couple hand gestures. The Pack members immediately scooped up their gear and headed for the door.

"Then on Freedom's Progress, and on Cyniad, that was you?"Tali said looking up at Luke.

"Yep, please don't hit me. I got enough abuse from Claire when she found out," Luke said raising his hands slightly.

"I'll wait until later," Tali replied. Claire couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Tali was smiling.


	39. Chapter 39

**Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry the first try was broken. Not sure what happened with that. Anyway, please let me know what you all think. I love getting to hear from you.**

 **00000000000000000**

The collector ship looked more like a beehive than a battleship. The rounded halls, high ceilings, and waxy feel of the floors and walls made Claire's skin crawl even through her armor. The infiltration had gone off without a hitch and as far as she could tell, they had not been detected. Maybe they would be able to get in, get the intel, and get out before the enemy showed up to salvage the ship.

"Grunt and Samara, on point. Tali, with me in the center. Garrus, rear guard. Kasumi, cloak and scout ahead. Do not engage unless you're discovered," Claire ordered as the team moved deeper into the ship.

The atmosphere made the halls feel more like catacombs from Earth rather than an advanced alien warship. Claire's boot had trouble gripping the floor. Not even the magnetic function was holding fast.

"Mordin, look into the sensors on our boots. The floor feels weird," Claire ordered.

" _Mucus membrane, appears to be a nutrient compound. Collectors absorb through hands and feet to sustain life. Fascinating. Get sample for study. May be make poison against Collectors after tests,"_ Mordin replied over the radio.

"You got it professor," Claire responded. "Thane, grab one of the extractors from the shuttle and get the samples."

" _Understood, Captain,"_ Thane answered.

The team moved through the ship quickly, but Claire was starting to get the feeling like something was very wrong. She couldn't put her finger on why, but that tingle she was getting up and down her spine always preceded the mission taking a turn for the worse.

" _Claire, its Luke. I've been watching your helmet cam and I'm curious. If the turians did enough damage to the ship to disable it, where are all the collector bodies?"_ Luke inquired over the radio. Claire stopped signaling for everyone to hold position. " _And another thing, I ran a scan over the ship and I can't find any significant damage, not even around the engine."_

"Let me guess, trap?" Claire asked looking around the group.

" _Trap. Head on a swivel, sis_ ," Luke responded.

Claire could have kicked herself for not noticing sooner. This must have been why she had been getting those spine tingles. Her gut was trying to warn her. Although, if this was a trap, did the collectors set it for her?

" _Captain, I have located a console near your position that might yield some useful information,"_ EDI announced over the radio.

"Got it. Kasumi, check it out. We're right behind you," Claire ordered.

The console stood between two pods with no shortage of cables and pipes running from it. Claire approached but quickly found an unexpected surprise. In one of the pods was a collector. She couldn't tell if it was alive or dead, but considering it was not moving and had not reacted to them yet, it was probably dead.

"EDI, we're at the console. Upload everything you can find and have Mordin and Miranda go through it. They've got one of their own in here. I want to know what they were doing," Claire ordered opening a link between the Normandy and the console.

"Claire, you better see this," Garrus said as he pointed down the next hallway. Claire pulled her sniper rifle and took aim. At first all she could see was the mucus covered walls, but as her sight adjusted to the distance she spotted what Garrus had been talking about.

Bodies. Human corpses piled eight or nine high up against the wall halfway down the hallway. God, what were these things doing to them.

"Luke, be glad you're not here," Claire stated.

" _What are you talking about? All I can see on the holo is a dark hallway. What you got?"_ Luke responded over the radio.

"Bodies. At least a hundred dead humans. I don't know if its the colonists from Horizon or one of the other colonies, but their all dead," Claire reported.

" _Damn bugs. Were they test subjects or something?"_ Luke asked. Claire could tell he was pissed. His voice always changed in tone when he got angry, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"I can't tell," Claire replied.

" _Likely control group for experiments. Would be discarded when experiment complete,"_ Mordin added.

"Poor people. I can't even imagine," Tali said lowering her head.

"What about the console? What were they doing?" Claire asked.

" _Comparing biological similarities between the collectors and humans. Going over results,"_ Mordin informed her.

" _I'm looking over them too, but I'm seeing something note worthy right away. I'm sure the professor and EDI have already caught it too,"_ Luke reported.

" _Yes,the collectors possess a quad-strand genetic structure nearly identical to samples found in ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this genetic make up: the Protheans,"_ EDI explained.

"Holy shit! That means, the Protheans weren't wiped out by the reapers, they were enslaved by them and turned into the collectors," Claire exclaimed taking a step back.

"A fate worse than death," Garrus added.

"Agreed," Samara chipped in.

" _I'm reading another console further in. That should have their navigational data and a bunch of other helpful hints about their weapons, shields, and future targets,"_ Luke reported.

"Right, lets move," Claire ordered waving everyone forward.

The further into the bowels of the ship the team moved the more uneasy Claire felt. She could feel eyes on her, not to mention all the pods hanging from the ceiling. Tali had scanned for life signs but there were none. EDI hypothesized that the people inside the pods, if there were any, had died when the ship lost power.

" _Hey captain, on a hunch I asked EDI to make an analysis on the collector's ship,"_ Joker said over the radio.

" _I compared this ships readings with data from the Normandy two years ago and the ship from Horizon. They are an exact match,"_ EDI informed her.

"This ship is the one the shot down the original Normandy?" Claire said looking around.

" _If I was there right now, I would so be blowing shit up,"_ Luke snapped.

"Good thing I left you on the ship then," Claire replied.

" _Either way, something doesn't feel right. This same ship dogging you for two years is a little suspicious to me. Watch your back in there,"_ Joker added.

Claire could feel it to. Everything about the situation was getting weirder by the second.

The team made it to their target and started the download and data mine looking for anything that would help them head off the collectors, find their base, or navigate through the Omega-4 Relay _._ Claire watched around them looking up at the ship around them. Pods numbering in the millions, hung all through the ship. The collectors could take every human in the Terminus Systems and still not have enough to fill the pods. They would target a larger human colony soon, and eventually... Earth.

" _Claire, its a trap! Get out of there now!"_ Luke shouted through the radio.

"What are you talking about? There's still no movement over here," Claire responded.

" _I was scanning through the data and I found the turian signal that drew us here. The collectors sent it,"_ Luke stated.

" _I have all the data I had access to. I suggest withdrawal,"_ EDI stated. Claire leveled her rifle as the platform beneath them started to move.

"Hostiles inbound," Garrus shouted taking cover and firing his rifle. Claire turned to see several other platforms like the one they were one floating through the air loaded with collectors.

"The bastards were waiting for us," Claire snarled.

" _Wolf Pack is deploying to hold the exit point. On touch down, I'll take Jack, Thane, and Zaheed to meet up with you,"_ Luke shouted.

"Roger that. Turning on our locator beacons," Claire responded. Now that they were fighting the whole damn ship, she wanted every advantage they could get.

" _Claire, you better get a move on. The Collector ship is powering up. I would really like to be gone before those weapons come back online,"_ Joker added.

"Roger that. We'll be moving as fast as we can. Keep the engine running," Claire responded.

000

Luke led a small team through the enemy ship until they reached the choke point along Claire's route back to the shuttle. Three separate tunnels let out in the room and after a quick glance at his omni-tool, Luke found that they were about to be engaged from two of them, most likely collector forces trying to cut off Claire's escape.

"Zaheed, mid-range. Find some cover and lay down suppressing fire on the tunnel to the right. Thane, find a perch and snipe any targets of opportunity," Luke ordered looking between the two men.

"What about me?" Jack asked crossing her arms.

"Jack, you and me get the fun part. We get to rip into these bug-eyed bastards. Kill any collector that approaches us and be ready to cover Claire and her team. They will be coming through here under fire from the left tunnel," Luke responded pulling his pistol and taking aim at the tunnel on the left.

"Oh hell yeah!" Jack exclaimed pulling her shotgun, charging the firing chamber, and standing in front of the central tunnel.

Luke was starting to see something in Jack's eyes whenever she was about to get into a fight. There was some excitement, but there was also pain. Luke couldn't help but wonder why? Had Claire noticed this yet? What would she do about it? Ask Jack to open up? Good luck with that. Jack wasn't talking to anyone about things that mattered. She had started joking around with him and a couple other members of the crew, but she never talked about anything meaningful. Maybe he could ask her about it once this mission was over. Right before a firefight was not the best time to have a deep and meaningful conversation.

"Contact!" Zaheed roared as he opened fire on the right tunnel.

"Jack, they should be coming your way next! Thane, are you ready?" Luke asked keeping his eyes on the tunnel in front of him.

"Affirmative," Thane answered.

"I can go nuts with this right?" Jack asked as biotic energy surrounded her.

"When I say to withdraw, do it immediately, but other than that, yeah. Go nuts," Luke replied smirking under his helmet. The biotic would definitely work the collectors over a few times. Too bad he couldn't see it first hand.

000

Luke fell on the floor of the cargo bay panting. The fight had not been for very long, but he still was not use to using his biotics without the serum and he over did it a bit. He pulled off his helmet revealing long lines and smears of blood all across the bottom of his face.

"Are you alright?" Claire asked a bit winded herself.

"Peachy. Just another normal day for us, right down to me pulling your ass out of the fire," Luke responded smirking up at his sister.

"Yep, just like old times right down to you exaggerating everything," Claire responded.

"I got a question. That turian signal, I heard EDI say that it was found with the data we recovered. Anything about the signal come across as weird?" Luke asked looking up at the intercom speaker.

" _I did identify the signal that lead us to the collector ship. Turian transmissions have secondary encryption encoded into every message, but in this message the encryption is corrupted. It is odd,"_ EDI responded.

"What's weird about that? The collectors set a trap," Claire responded looking down at Luke.

" _What is odd is that I found the corruption using Cerberus detection programs. The Illusive Man wrote them,"_ EDI clarified.

"Meaning there is no way that bastard could have been fooled. I'll bet you this smug ass is sitting in his office smoking a damn cigarette happy as a clam that we got the data he wanted. Who cares if he sent us straight into a trap that could have gotten us all killed. Freaking dickhead," Luke snarled sitting up.

" _Hey Captain, the Illusive Man is calling in the comm room. I figured you had a few select words for him too,"_ Joker announced over the speakers.

"Damn right I do," Claire snapped before storming into the elevator.

"God, I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that conversation," Luke said chuckling. He needed to collect all the info he could on the ship and the collectors that they were able to find and send it off to Councilor Anderson without anyone being the wiser. That would certainly be easier once the crew had gone back to their stations.

"You alright, boss?" Miles asked tossing Luke a towel.

"Not completely, but good enough for government work. Do me a favor and take my gear up to the armory and have it cleaned? The shuttle felt a little shaky coming in. I want to run a diagnostic on the stabilizers and inertia dampeners," Luke lied . The shuttle was flying fine, but it would be easy enough to fake a diagnostic report after he sent off the collector data.

"Sure thing. And the mission reports?" Miles asked coming over to collect Luke's weapons.

"File them with Operative Lawson. Let her know I 'll have mine to her and Claire before 1800," Luke responded handing over his weapons and stripping his armor. His undersuit felt sticky on his upper body but that was probably from the blood and sweat . He really wanted to get back into his uniform, but he needed to stay long enough to send off the data and cover his tracks.


	40. Chapter 40

**Here is the next chapter. Was on a roll so figured I would post it as soon as I was done considering this fic has been on hold for me for a while. Let me know what you think. I love getting to hear from everyone. Enjoy!**

 **0000000000000000000**

Knocking a stack of datapads onto the floor may have been short sighted and childish, but it made Claire feel a little better. The Illusive Man all but admitted that he sent them knowingly into a trap because he didn't want to tip the collectors off. That asshole risked a lot. Resources and lives, but never anything of his own. How many times had that egocentric bastard actually joined in on a mission? None most likely unless he was sitting in that damn chair of his puffing on a cigarette.

"Captain, may I come in?" someone asked from the door.

"Enter," Claire said trying to calm herself down.

The door opened and Kelly Chambers, her Yeoman and the ship's undercover shrink, made her way in.

"I'm sorry to bother you when you are so tired, but there was something that came up that I thought you should be made aware of," Kelly stated handing Claire a datapad.

"What is it?" Claire accepted the pad and started looking through some of the data. From what she could tell, it was a list of the crew and their mental states. Kelly was certainly doing her job.

"The crew seem to have some apprehensions about going on a suicide mission for Cerberus. A lot of them gave me the impression that they have unfinished business that they would rather finish before heading to fight the Collectors," Kelly stated putting her hand behind her back.

"It looks like most of the crew as well as Miranda, most of the Wolf Pack, and Joker are in a good state of mind, but the others are feeling a little hesitant," Claire said isolating the ground team members. They seemed to be the only ones that really needed closure before the mission. She noticed a different mark next to Luke's name. "What about Luke? What's this mean?"

"Luke has not opened up to me at all. It is like he knows what I'm trying to do and avoids all the questions or answers sarcasticly. I can't seem to get a good read on him at all. At times, he seems more sane than anyone else on this ship, including you Captain, no offense. But at other times, it seems like he is on the verge of a complete mental breakdown," Kelly explained shaking her head.

"Don't worry about Luke. I'll take care of him. He has seemed like he has had a lot on his mind other than the mission," Claire stated setting the pad on her desk and stooping to pick up the stack she had thrown on the floor.

"Yes Captain, but could I ask how you are doing? I was worried about you when everyone was on the Collector ship," Kelly said joining Claire in her clean up efforts.

"I'm a little tired. I'm not going to lie. I could definitely use a rest and a drink," Claire responded picking up the last of the pads and setting them back on her desk.

"Maybe the next time we are on the Citadel or Omega, you should have some shore leave for yourself and the ground team," Kelly suggested setting her stack down on the desk as well.

"That would probably be a good idea. Everyone could certainly use some time to blow off some steam before we dive into Hell head first." Claire sat down in her desk chair and closed her eyes trying to relax for a moment.

"All of us believe in you, Captain. Most of the crew is here because they were told that you were going to be leading this mission. If it makes you feel better, 90% of the crew was recruited by your brother. Only Operative Lawson, myself, and four other crew members were assigned here by the Illusive Man. Everyone believes in you wholeheartedly."

Kelly's words made Claire feel a little better, but also scared her a bit. Luke recruited most of the crew himself. That meant he knew she would not let the Collectors go, even if that meant working with Cerberus. Had Luke manipulated her, or was he just that good at reading her?

000

Luke made his way down to Jack's hideaway. He had finished sending his transmission and covered his tracks well enough that no one would be able to find out about it, but he was starting to get concerned. He had been sending a lot of data to Anderson and Hackett. All of which were reports that Luke had access to, but not many others. If the Illusive Man ever got a hold of the files that the Alliance now had on Cerberus and cross checked the access in the Cerberus systems, he could probably figure out that Luke had been sending intel to AEIS. He needed to mix things up a bit. Hack into another project and send some data, maybe even back date the time the data was sent so that it would appear to have been sent before he even had access to it. Whatever manner he decided to use to throw off any suspicion that might fall on him, he would need to do it fast.

"What's up?" Jack asked from her cot.

"The shit factor on the galaxy, but other than that not much," Luke replied slumping down against the wall.

"Hey, I found something in here," Jack said sliding a datapad over to Luke. Jack still had the Cerberus files that Claire had given her access to. This was fortuitous. He could find something unrelated to any of the Wolf Pack missions to send Anderson in his next report. But then his eyes fell on the file Jack was showing him. The J-11 serum and its involvement in the experimentation on 'Subject Zero', more commonly known as Jack.

"Wait, the J-11 serum was used on you?" Luke asked scrolling through the file.

"Looks like it. Wasn't that the shit that gave you and Girl Scout your biotics?" Jack asked sitting up.

"Yeah, it was. But looks like they used a later version on you when you were nine," Luke said sighing and closing his eyes try to imagine a scared little girl being experimented on that would later grow into the convict sitting with him.

"What do you mean a later version?" Jack snapped standing up and moving in front of Luke.

"When I was sixteen, I managed to survive a slaver attack and escape the slave ship that took me. When I made it back to Mindoir, a Cerberus Team found me and used me as a test subject." Luke cleared his throat before continuing. "They called me... Subject Alpha."

Luke opened his own sealed Cerberus file and handed the pad back to Jack so she could read through at least some of it.

"Shit, looks like you and me really do have something in common," Jack said. "Cerberus fucked with both of us."

Luke chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, then I ended up working for them. I still haven't gotten my revenge. Anything you want to do to dick the Illusive Man over, let me know. I'll see if I can make it happen," Luke stated looking over at Jack.

"Are you sure you used to be a cop cause you got the right stuff to be a pirate," Jack said smirking.

"Remind me to tell you about some of the cases I worked when I was with C-Sec," Luke stated pushing himself back up on to his feet.

"Hey, Luke," Jack started. "I do have something that I could use your help with."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Just something to fuck over the Illusive Man. Should make me feel a little better too," Jack stated. Luke smiled. This would definitely be interesting.

000

Making his way up the stairs, Luke pondered over Jack's plan and tried to look at it from the Illusive Man's point of view. Destroying a shutdown lab would not cause that much trouble for the Illusive Man and Cerberus as a whole and Jack could be better focused on the mission, however, a Cerberus commando who led this attack on a Cerberus facility, shut down or not, might attract the kind of attention that Luke needed to avoid.

Suddenly, a gloved three fingered hand collided with his jaw nearly sending him to the floor. Luke caught himself against the wall and looked up to see Tali standing over him.

"It is good to see you but you know you deserve that," Tali snapped pointing at him accusingly.

"I probably deserve more than that but please try to leave all my teeth in. Cerberus doesn't cover dental replacements," Luke jested regaining his feet.

"Claire told me what you did. How you brought her back. Why didn't you contact me? I could have helped," Tali snapped again. Luke could feel the quarian's eyes burning holes into him, but there was not just anger in her voice. She was genuinely upset he had not gotten in contact with her.

"I didn't know if we could bring Claire back, and by the time that it looked like she was going to come around, Cerberus had already screwed up and attacked the Migrant Fleet. I thought if I got in contact with you as a Cerberus Commando, the fleet might think you had betrayed them," Luke retorted. Honestly, he had not wanted to get his friend involved with such a crooked group, not until Claire was put in charge.

"I'm not sure if you are stupid or if you are being stupid," Tali stated crossing her arms.

"Is there a third option that doesn't include missing molars?" Luke retorted leaning back against the wall and rubbing his cheek.

"Luke, we are friends right?" Tali asked. Her voice was a little gentler. As if she were actually curious rather than confirming something she already knew.

"Of course we are, Tali. Speaking of which, you want to start getting together and working on those programs that we use to design back on the Normandy?" Luke asked opening his omni-tool.

"Actually, that sounds like fun. I need to read over the manual for the engine room for the Normandy, but I should be done before dinner. Do you want to meet down in the shuttle bay after dinner?" Tali asked with apparent joy in her voice.

"Cool. We can talk more then too, if you want," Luke said smiling and giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading toward the elevator.

If his friends were starting to doubt whether or not he was on their side, maybe he needed to stop working so hard to keep everyone at arm's length and start rebuilding the bridges that he had lost over the past two years. He had not had a strong drink with Garrus in a long time. Of course, that stubborn Turian was fiddling with some new weapon he convince Claire that the Normandy needed. He was always calibrating something. If that gun needed that much maintenance, was it really worth it? Oh well, his loss. Claire was probably getting tired of her alien boyfriend always spending his time in the battery rather than with her. That was, if she wasn't in the battery with him all those times the door was locked.

Luke shook his head. He did not need that kind of image in his mind about his best friend and his sister. That was just weird.

Sighing and pressing the button for the crew deck, Luke leaned back against the wall and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This whole mission was wearing him out.

"You know, stress can cause early wrinkles," someone said out of nowhere. Luke started for a moment before settling down again. He knew the voice and approach.

"I try not to worry about appearances, Kasumi," Luke responded waiting for her to uncloak. The thief appeared in the corner of the elevator with her arms crossed looking at him with a knowing smile.

"What?" Luke asked cocking his head to the side.

"I just happened to see something interesting while I was hanging out in the shuttle earlier," Kasumi stated as her smile broadened.

Luke kept his face as stoic as he possibly could. If he showed surprise or fear, she would know he had done something wrong and could exploit it. Damn, why hadn't he been more thorough checking for observers?

"Could we speak somewhere else about this?" Luke asked as the door opened. Kasumi smiled and nodded before leading him toward the the observation deck that was serving as her quarters.

"Don't worry. I took out all off the surveillance in this room. It was actually kind of fun. Like a scavenger hunt," Kasumi said smiling over her shoulder at Luke. He nodded and took a seat next to the window as the thief sat down across from him.

"So, what is it you thought you saw?" Luke asked. He realized that all she said was that she saw something interesting, not that she had figured out that he was a spy for AEIS.

"You are sending out information and have been for a while, but you are covering your tracks well. I couldn't even follow it to its destination. Let me guess. Are you getting back at Cerberus for them experimenting on you when you were a kid? Selling their info to the highest bidder," Kasumi speculated leaning back in her seat.

Luke chuckled to himself, trying to make it look like he had been caught, but more out of relief that she had not guessed correctly right off the bat. "I have my own private wars to fight. You know, scores to settle from my C-Sec days, and that requires credits," Luke lied leaning forward and bowing his head. He couldn't let Kasumi look into his eyes or study him to closely. She was good at reading clues and people for tells, at least according to her dossier.

"What kind of scores?" Kasumi asked.

"Bad guys that slipped through the cracks because they knew someone or they had dirt on someone that made me drop the case. I might be with Cerberus now, but I can take those bastards out and lay the blame at Cerberus' feet. Just one of the perks I can get from working for them," Luke replied. This lie was starting to get bigger. If it grew too much, he would have trouble sticking to it if word got out. Maybe he needed to tell her it was none of her business if she kept pushing? No, she had dirt on him now. He needed to get her in his debt. Wait, there was a way.

"Oh hey, that job you said you wanted done before. Something about stealing from Donovan Hock? You keep quiet about my little side hustle, and I'll get clearance to go get your heist done tomorrow," Luke suggested.

"Interesting. This is gonna be fun," Kasumi responded smiling broadly. For some reason, that smile reminded Luke of the Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland, mischievous and crafty.

It wasn't perfect but at the very least Kasumi would not rat him out to the Illusive Man for being a spy. If anyone understood someone being a little greedy and wanting to tie up loose ends, surely Kasumi would. He just needed to stick to the story and double check his surroundings when he sent his next report to Anderson.


End file.
